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CHAPTER I
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If it had not rained on a certain May morning Valancy Stirling’s whole life would have been entirely1 different. She would have gone, with the rest of her clan2, to Aunt Wellington’s engagement picnic and Dr. Trent would have gone to Montreal. But it did rain and you shall hear what happened to her because of it.
Valancy wakened early, in the lifeless, hopeless hour just preceding dawn. She had not slept very well. One does not sleep well, sometimes, when one is twenty-nine on the morrow, and unmarried, in a community and connection where the unmarried are simply those who have failed to get a man.
Deerwood and the Stirlings had long since relegated3 Valancy to hopeless old maidenhood4. But Valancy herself had never quite relinquished5 a certain pitiful, shamed, little hope that Romance would come her way yet—never, until this wet, horrible morning, when she wakened to the fact that she was twenty-nine and unsought by any man.
Ay, there lay the sting. Valancy did not mind so much being an old maid. After all, she thought, being an old maid couldn’t possibly be as dreadful as being married to an Uncle Wellington or an Uncle Benjamin, or even an Uncle Herbert. What hurt her was that she had never had a chance to be anything but an old maid. No man had ever desired her.
The tears came into her eyes as she lay there alone in the faintly greying darkness. She dared not let herself cry as hard as she wanted to, for two reasons. She was afraid that crying might bring on another attack of that pain around the heart. She had had a spell of it after she had got into bed—rather worse than any she had had yet. And she was afraid her mother would notice her red eyes at breakfast and keep at her with minute, persistent6, mosquito-like questions regarding the cause thereof.
“Suppose,” thought Valancy with a ghastly grin, “I answered with the plain truth, ‘I am crying because I cannot get married.’ How
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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clan
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n.氏族,部落,宗族,家族,宗派 | |
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relegated
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v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 );使降职;转移;把…归类 | |
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maidenhood
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n. 处女性, 处女时代 | |
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relinquished
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交出,让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 ); 放弃 | |
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persistent
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adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的 | |
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horrified
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a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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prim
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adj.拘泥形式的,一本正经的;n.循规蹈矩,整洁;adv.循规蹈矩地,整洁地 | |
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dictatorial
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adj. 独裁的,专断的 | |
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maidenly
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adj. 像处女的, 谨慎的, 稳静的 | |
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huddled
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挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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futile
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adj.无效的,无用的,无希望的 | |
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sordid
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adj.肮脏的,不干净的,卑鄙的,暗淡的 | |
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hideous
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adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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grotesque
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adj.怪诞的,丑陋的;n.怪诞的图案,怪人(物) | |
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spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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propped
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支撑,支持,维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inadequate
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adj.(for,to)不充足的,不适当的 | |
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dressing
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n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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potpourri
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n.混合之事物;百花香 | |
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mythical
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adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的 | |
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honeymoon
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n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月 | |
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bead
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n.念珠;(pl.)珠子项链;水珠 | |
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yarns
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n.纱( yarn的名词复数 );纱线;奇闻漫谈;旅行轶事 | |
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banished
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v.放逐,驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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crouched
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v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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engraving
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n.版画;雕刻(作品);雕刻艺术;镌版术v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的现在分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中) | |
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lavishly
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adv.慷慨地,大方地 | |
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brook
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n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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opposition
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n.反对,敌对 | |
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sinister
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adj.不吉利的,凶恶的,左边的 | |
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subdued
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adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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overridden
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越控( override的过去分词 ); (以权力)否决; 优先于; 比…更重要 | |
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wont
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adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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ramifications
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n.结果,后果( ramification的名词复数 ) | |
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possessed
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adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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turrets
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(六角)转台( turret的名词复数 ); (战舰和坦克等上的)转动炮塔; (摄影机等上的)镜头转台; (旧时攻城用的)塔车 | |
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urns
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n.壶( urn的名词复数 );瓮;缸;骨灰瓮 | |
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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 | |
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shimmering
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v.闪闪发光,发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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knights
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骑士; (中古时代的)武士( knight的名词复数 ); 骑士; 爵士; (国际象棋中)马 | |
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boredom
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n.厌烦,厌倦,乏味,无聊 | |
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chivalry
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n.骑士气概,侠义;(男人)对女人彬彬有礼,献殷勤 | |
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wedded
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adj.正式结婚的;渴望…的,执著于…的v.嫁,娶,(与…)结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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chapel
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n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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ascetic
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adj.禁欲的;严肃的 | |
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jaw
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n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训 | |
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rugged
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adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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tawny
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adj.茶色的,黄褐色的;n.黄褐色 | |
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deliberately
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adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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outgrew
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长[发展] 得超过(某物)的范围( outgrow的过去式 ); 长[发展]得不能再要(某物); 长得比…快; 生长速度超过 | |
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homely
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adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 | |
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crimson
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n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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solitary
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adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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withered
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adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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bough
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n.大树枝,主枝 | |
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drearily
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沉寂地,厌倦地,可怕地 | |
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celebrated
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adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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aspiration
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n.志向,志趣抱负;渴望;(语)送气音;吸出 | |
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bellow
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v.吼叫,怒吼;大声发出,大声喝道 | |
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abject
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adj.极可怜的,卑屈的 | |
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awe
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n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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devoted
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adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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amiable
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adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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condole
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v.同情;慰问 | |
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plentiful
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adj.富裕的,丰富的 | |
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sarcasm
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n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic) | |
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abominable
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adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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conundrums
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n.谜,猜不透的难题,难答的问题( conundrum的名词复数 ) | |
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chuckles
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轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 ) | |
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riddle
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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 | |
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widower
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n.鳏夫 | |
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galling
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adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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riddles
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n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜 | |
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criticise
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v.批评,评论;非难 | |
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dolorously
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adj. 悲伤的;痛苦的;悲哀的;阴沉的 | |
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odious
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adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
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prodigies
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n.奇才,天才(尤指神童)( prodigy的名词复数 ) | |
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tabulated
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把(数字、事实)列成表( tabulate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disposition
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n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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flaunt
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vt.夸耀,夸饰 | |
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envious
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adj.嫉妒的,羡慕的 | |
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teaspoon
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n.茶匙 | |
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teaspoons
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n.茶匙( teaspoon的名词复数 );一茶匙的量 | |
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bugs
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adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误 | |
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permissible
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adj.可允许的,许可的 | |
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vaguely
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adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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plume
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n.羽毛;v.整理羽毛,骚首弄姿,用羽毛装饰 | |
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rave
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vi.胡言乱语;热衷谈论;n.热情赞扬 | |
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limbo
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n.地狱的边缘;监狱 | |
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enthralled
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迷住,吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 ); 使感到非常愉快 | |
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lure
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n.吸引人的东西,诱惑物;vt.引诱,吸引 | |
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elusive
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adj.难以表达(捉摸)的;令人困惑的;逃避的 | |
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marsh
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n.沼泽,湿地 | |
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perfectly
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adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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outspoken
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adj.直言无讳的,坦率的,坦白无隐的 | |
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practitioner
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n.实践者,从事者;(医生或律师等)开业者 | |
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rumours
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n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 );风闻;谣言;谣传 | |
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clatter
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v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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