6
FATHER RECALLED THAT the
mule1-drawn
wagon2 carrying Second Grandma and the
corpse3 of LittleAuntie Xiangguan arrived in our village at noon. A strong wind from the northwest raised cloudsof dust on the roads and
rustled4 leaves on the trees. Dead skin peeled from his lips in the parchedair. When the wagon, one mule in front and another at the rear, appeared in the village, he ranlike the wind to meet it. Uncle Arhat was hobbling along beside the bumping, creaking wagon.
The
mules6, Granddad, and Uncle Arhat all had a gummy, dust-covered
residue7 in the corners oftheir eyes. Granddad sat on the railing, holding his head in his hands like a clay
idol8 or a woodenicon. The scene sucked the words right out of Father’s mouth. At a distance of about twentyyards from the wagon, his sensitive nose detected an inauspicious odour
emanating9 from thewagon. Frightened, he turned and ran back home,
blurting10 out to Grandma, who was anxiouslypacing the floor, ‘Mom, Dad’s back, the mule’s pulling a long wagon, dead people in the back.’
Grandma’s face fell. After a
momentary11 pause, she rushed outside with him.
The wagon wheels ground to a
bumpy12 halt, creaking one last time as the wagon stopped justbeyond the gate. Granddad climbed down slowly and stared at Grandma with bloodshot eyes.
The sight frightened Father; Granddad’s eyes reminded him of the cat’s-eye stones on the banksof the Black Water River, whose colours were forever changing.
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收听单词发音
1
mule
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n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人 |
参考例句: |
- A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
- He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。
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2
wagon
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n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 |
参考例句: |
- We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
- The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
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3
corpse
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n.尸体,死尸 |
参考例句: |
- What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
- The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
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4
rustled
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v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- He rustled his papers. 他把试卷弄得沙沙地响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Leaves rustled gently in the breeze. 树叶迎着微风沙沙作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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5
parched
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adj.焦干的;极渴的;v.(使)焦干 |
参考例句: |
- Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
- The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。
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6
mules
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骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 |
参考例句: |
- The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
- She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。
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7
residue
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n.残余,剩余,残渣 |
参考例句: |
- Mary scraped the residue of food from the plates before putting them under water.玛丽在把盘子放入水之前先刮去上面的食物残渣。
- Pesticide persistence beyond the critical period for control leads to residue problems.农药一旦超过控制的临界期,就会导致残留问题。
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8
idol
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n.偶像,红人,宠儿 |
参考例句: |
- As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子,他是父母的宠儿。
- Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。
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9
emanating
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v.从…处传出,传出( emanate的现在分词 );产生,表现,显示 |
参考例句: |
- Even so, there is a slight odour of potpourri emanating from Longfellow. 纵然如此,也还是可以闻到来自朗费罗的一种轻微的杂烩的味道。 来自辞典例句
- Many surface waters, particularly those emanating from swampy areas, are often colored to the extent. 许多地表水,特别是由沼泽地区流出的地表水常常染上一定程度的颜色。 来自辞典例句
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10
blurting
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v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- I can change my life minute by blurting out book. 脱口而出这本书,我就能够改变我的人生。 来自互联网
- B: I just practiced blurting out useful sentences every day for one year. 我只是用了一年的时间每天练习脱口而出有用的句子。 来自互联网
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11
momentary
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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。
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12
bumpy
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adj.颠簸不平的,崎岖的 |
参考例句: |
- I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
- The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄,成了一条崎岖不平的小径。
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13
owl
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n.猫头鹰,枭 |
参考例句: |
- Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
- I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚,经常半夜后才睡觉。
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14
snarled
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v.(指狗)吠,嗥叫, (人)咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 );咆哮着说,厉声地说 |
参考例句: |
- The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
- As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时,它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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15
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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16
pulpy
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果肉状的,多汁的,柔软的; 烂糊; 稀烂 |
参考例句: |
- The bean like seeds of this plant, enclosed within a pulpy fruit. 被包在肉质果实内的这种植物的豆样种子。
- Her body felt bruised, her lips pulpy and tender. 她的身体感觉碰伤了,她的嘴唇柔软娇嫩。
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17
transparent
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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。
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18
obsessed
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adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 |
参考例句: |
- He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
- The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
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19
lottery
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n.抽彩;碰运气的事,难于算计的事 |
参考例句: |
- He won no less than £5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
- They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。
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20
gambling
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n.赌博;投机 |
参考例句: |
- They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
- The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。
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21
anticipation
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n.预期,预料,期望 |
参考例句: |
- We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着,期待她的到来。
- The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安,像是感到了地震即将发生。
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22
babbled
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v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 );作潺潺声(如流水);含糊不清地说话;泄漏秘密 |
参考例句: |
- He babbled the secret out to his friends. 他失口把秘密泄漏给朋友了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She babbled a few words to him. 她对他说了几句不知所云的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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23
appalling
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adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 |
参考例句: |
- The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
- Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。
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24
slumber
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n.睡眠,沉睡状态 |
参考例句: |
- All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
- Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒,因为他需要休息。
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25
sorghum
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n.高粱属的植物,高粱糖浆,甜得发腻的东西 |
参考例句: |
- We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
- They made sorghum into pig feed.他们把高粱做成了猪饲料。
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26
rustling
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n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声
adj. 发沙沙声的 |
参考例句: |
- the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
- the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声
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27
screeches
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n.尖锐的声音( screech的名词复数 )v.发出尖叫声( screech的第三人称单数 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫 |
参考例句: |
- The boy's screeches brought his mother. 男孩的尖叫声招来了他母亲。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The woman's screeches brought the police. 这个妇女的尖叫声招来了警察。 来自辞典例句
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28
patina
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n.铜器上的绿锈,年久而产生的光泽 |
参考例句: |
- The trophy has a beautiful green patina.这个奖杯表面有一层漂亮的绿锈。
- Ancient bronze animal are covered in vivid green patina.古代青铜器动物被绿色彩铜绿笼罩。
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29
enigma
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n.谜,谜一样的人或事 |
参考例句: |
- I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年,他仍然难以捉摸。
- Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词,这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。
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30
willow
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n.柳树 |
参考例句: |
- The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
- The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。
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31
marshy
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adj.沼泽的 |
参考例句: |
- In August 1935,we began our march across the marshy grassland. 1935年8月,我们开始过草地。
- The surrounding land is low and marshy. 周围的地低洼而多沼泽。
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32
chattered
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(人)喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 ); 唠叨; (牙齿)打战; (机器)震颤 |
参考例句: |
- They chattered away happily for a while. 他们高兴地闲扯了一会儿。
- We chattered like two teenagers. 我们聊着天,像两个十多岁的孩子。
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33
brass
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n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 |
参考例句: |
- Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
- Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
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34
gouging
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n.刨削[槽]v.凿( gouge的现在分词 );乱要价;(在…中)抠出…;挖出… |
参考例句: |
- Banks and credit-card companies have been accused of gouging their customers. 银行和信用卡公司被指控欺诈顾客。 来自辞典例句
- If back-gouging is applied, grinding to bright metal is required. 如果采用火焰气刨,则应将其打磨至可见光亮的金属表面。 来自互联网
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35
tugged
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v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
- A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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36
profusion
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n.挥霍;丰富 |
参考例句: |
- He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
- The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。
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37
countless
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adj.无数的,多得不计其数的 |
参考例句: |
- In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
- I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
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38
moths
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n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去,弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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39
clump
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n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走 |
参考例句: |
- A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
- It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。
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40
bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 |
参考例句: |
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
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41
gourd
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n.葫芦 |
参考例句: |
- Are you going with him? You must be out of your gourd.你和他一块去?你一定是疯了。
- Give me a gourd so I can bail.把葫芦瓢给我,我好把水舀出去。
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42
shroud
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n.裹尸布,寿衣;罩,幕;vt.覆盖,隐藏 |
参考例句: |
- His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
- How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下,我该怎么做呢?
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43
yelped
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v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- He yelped in pain when the horse stepped on his foot. 马踩了他的脚痛得他喊叫起来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- A hound yelped briefly as a whip cracked. 鞭子一响,猎狗发出一阵嗥叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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44
hideous
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adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 |
参考例句: |
- The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
- They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
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45
horrifying
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a.令人震惊的,使人毛骨悚然的 |
参考例句: |
- He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
- The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了,真不堪细想。
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46
notch
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n.(V字形)槽口,缺口,等级 |
参考例句: |
- The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
- He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。
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47
yearned
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渴望,切盼,向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The people yearned for peace. 人民渴望和平。
- She yearned to go back to the south. 她渴望回到南方去。
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48
swirling
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v.旋转,打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着,旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句
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49
malevolent
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adj.有恶意的,恶毒的 |
参考例句: |
- Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒?
- We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
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50
pounce
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n.猛扑;v.猛扑,突然袭击,欣然同意 |
参考例句: |
- Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦?
- We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。
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51
hunched
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(常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦)耸肩弓身的,伏首前倾的 |
参考例句: |
- He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
- Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。
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52
softened
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(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰 |
参考例句: |
- His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
- The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
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53
anguish
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n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 |
参考例句: |
- She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时,她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
- The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。
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54
shafts
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n.轴( shaft的名词复数 );(箭、高尔夫球棒等的)杆;通风井;一阵(疼痛、害怕等) |
参考例句: |
- He deliberately jerked the shafts to rock him a bit. 他故意的上下颠动车把,摇这个老猴子几下。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
- Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下,并且挖有横向矿道。 来自辞典例句
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55
untied
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松开,解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 ); 解除,使自由; 解决 |
参考例句: |
- Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来,我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
- He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。
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56
spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 |
参考例句: |
- The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
- Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
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57
twitching
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n.颤搐 |
参考例句: |
- The child in a spasm kept twitching his arms and legs. 那个害痉挛的孩子四肢不断地抽搐。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- My eyelids keep twitching all the time. 我眼皮老是跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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58
countenance
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n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 |
参考例句: |
- At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
- I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地,仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。
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59
braying
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v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的现在分词 );发嘟嘟声;粗声粗气地讲话(或大笑);猛击 |
参考例句: |
- A donkey was braying on the hill behind the house. 房子后面的山上传来驴叫声。 来自互联网
- What's the use of her braying out such words? 她粗声粗气地说这种话有什么用呢? 来自互联网
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60
screeching
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v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫 |
参考例句: |
- Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
- the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景
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61
repulsive
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adj.排斥的,使人反感的 |
参考例句: |
- She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。
- The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。
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62
stink
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vi.发出恶臭;糟透,招人厌恶;n.恶臭 |
参考例句: |
- The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
- The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。
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63
assailed
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v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 );困扰;质问;毅然应对 |
参考例句: |
- He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。
- He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》
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64
nostrils
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鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
- The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
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65
flailed
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v.鞭打( flail的过去式和过去分词 );用连枷脱粒;(臂或腿)无法控制地乱动;扫雷坦克 |
参考例句: |
- The boys flailed around on the floor. 男孩子们在地板上任意地动来动去。
- The prisoner's limbs flailed violently because of the pain. 那囚犯因为疼痛,四肢剧烈地抖动着。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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66
wrung
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绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水) |
参考例句: |
- He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。
- He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。
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67
flipped
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轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥 |
参考例句: |
- The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
- The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
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68
filthy
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adj.卑劣的;恶劣的,肮脏的 |
参考例句: |
- The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
- You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发,然后再去买张新的。
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69
beads
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n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 |
参考例句: |
- a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
- Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
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70
privy
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adj.私用的;隐密的 |
参考例句: |
- Only three people,including a policeman,will be privy to the facts.只会允许3个人,其中包括一名警察,了解这些内情。
- Very few of them were privy to the details of the conspiracy.他们中很少有人知道这一阴谋的详情。
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71
strands
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n.(线、绳、金属线、毛发等的)股( strand的名词复数 );缕;海洋、湖或河的)岸;(观点、计划、故事等的)部份v.使滞留,使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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72
doorway
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n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 |
参考例句: |
- They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
- Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
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