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Dry Valley Johnson shook the bottle. You have to shake the bottle before using; for sulphur will not dissolve. Then Dry Valley saturated1 a small sponge with the liquid and rubbed it carefully into the roots of his hair. Besides sulphur there was sugar of lead in it and tincture of nux vomica and bay rum. Dry Valley found the recipe in a Sunday newspaper. You must next be told why a strong man came to fall a victim to a Beauty Hint.
Dry Valley had been a sheepman. His real name was Hector, but he had been rechristened after his range to distinguish him from "Elm Creek2" Johnson, who ran sheep further down the Frio.
Many years of living face to face with sheep on their own terms wearied Dry Valley Johnson. So, he sold his ranch3 for eighteen thousand dollars and moved to Santa Rosa to live a life of gentlemanly ease. Being a silent and melancholy4 person of thirty-five--or perhaps thirty-eight--he soon became that cursed and earth-cumbering thing--an elderlyish bachelor with a hobby. Some one gave him his first strawberry to eat, and he was done for.
Dry Valley bought a four-room cottage in the village, and a library on strawberry culture. Behind the cottage was a garden of which he made a strawberry patch. In his old grey woolen6 shirt, his brown duck trousers, and high-heeled boots he sprawled7 all day on a canvas cot under a live-oak tree at his back door studying the history of the seductive, scarlet8 berry.
The school teacher, Miss De Witt, spoke9 of him as "a fine, presentable man, for all his middle age." But, the focus of Dry Valley's eyes embraced no women. They were merely beings who flew skirts as a signal for him to lift awkwardly his heavy, round-crowned, broad-brimmed felt Stetson whenever he met them, and then hurry past to get back to his beloved berries.
And all this recitative by the chorus is only to bring us to the point where you may be told why Dry Valley shook up the insoluble sulphur in the bottle. So long-drawn and inconsequential a thing is history--the anamorphous shadow of a

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saturated
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a.饱和的,充满的 | |
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creek
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n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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ranch
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n.大牧场,大农场 | |
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melancholy
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n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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den
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n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室 | |
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woolen
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adj.羊毛(制)的;毛纺的 | |
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sprawled
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v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
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scarlet
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n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 | |
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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 | |
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milestone
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n.里程碑;划时代的事件 | |
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ripen
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vt.使成熟;vi.成熟 | |
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lash
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v.系牢;鞭打;猛烈抨击;n.鞭打;眼睫毛 | |
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snip
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n.便宜货,廉价货,剪,剪断 | |
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cracker
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n.(无甜味的)薄脆饼干 | |
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ripening
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v.成熟,使熟( ripen的现在分词 );熟化;熟成 | |
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ranching
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adj.放牧的 | |
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warding
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监护,守护(ward的现在分词形式) | |
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misgivings
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n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧 | |
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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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connoisseur
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n.鉴赏家,行家,内行 | |
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picket
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n.纠察队;警戒哨;v.设置纠察线;布置警卫 | |
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gourd
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n.葫芦 | |
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dodging
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n.避开,闪过,音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 );回避 | |
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pickets
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罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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swooped
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俯冲,猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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outraged
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a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
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hopping
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n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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toads
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n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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voraciously
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adv.贪婪地 | |
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screech
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n./v.尖叫;(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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scampered
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v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑,惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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toll
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n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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shrieks
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n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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perpendicular
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adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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brook
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n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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insolence
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n.傲慢;无礼;厚颜;傲慢的态度 | |
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crunched
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v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 );嘎吱作响;(快速大量地)处理信息;数字捣弄 | |
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luscious
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adj.美味的;芬芳的;肉感的,引与性欲的 | |
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promenade
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n./v.散步 | |
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grilled
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adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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thicket
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n.灌木丛,树林 | |
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laboriously
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adv.艰苦地;费力地;辛勤地;(文体等)佶屈聱牙地 | |
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spines
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n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 );脊椎;(动植物的)刺;书脊 | |
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eligible
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adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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enveloped
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v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frivolous
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adj.轻薄的;轻率的 | |
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gambols
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v.蹦跳,跳跃,嬉戏( gambol的第三人称单数 ) | |
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disapproval
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n.反对,不赞成 | |
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enchantment
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n.迷惑,妖术,魅力 | |
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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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ranger
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n.国家公园管理员,护林员;骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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sere
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adj.干枯的;n.演替系列 | |
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tardy
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adj.缓慢的,迟缓的 | |
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delusive
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adj.欺骗的,妄想的 | |
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hardy
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adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的 | |
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outfit
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n.(为特殊用途的)全套装备,全套服装 | |
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hectic
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adj.肺病的;消耗热的;发热的;闹哄哄的 | |
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pointed
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adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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desecrated
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毁坏或亵渎( desecrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mythology
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n.神话,神话学,神话集 | |
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phoenix
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n.凤凰,长生(不死)鸟;引申为重生 | |
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stunned
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adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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deliberately
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adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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oratory
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n.演讲术;词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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flirtation
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n.调情,调戏,挑逗 | |
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charades
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n.伪装( charade的名词复数 );猜字游戏 | |
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joyfully
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adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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lengthened
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(时间或空间)延长,伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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joyous
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adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的 | |
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concession
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n.让步,妥协;特许(权) | |
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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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crooked
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adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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semblance
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n.外貌,外表 | |
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affectedly
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gallant
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adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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fidelity
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n.忠诚,忠实;精确 | |
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corroboration
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n.进一步的证实,进一步的证据 | |
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demurely
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adv.装成端庄地,认真地 | |
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rehabilitated
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改造(罪犯等)( rehabilitate的过去式和过去分词 ); 使恢复正常生活; 使恢复原状; 修复 | |
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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 | |
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intrepidly
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adv.无畏地,勇猛地 | |
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rhinoceros
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n.犀牛 | |
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sagely
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adv. 贤能地,贤明地 | |
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antelope
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n.羚羊;羚羊皮 | |
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twilight
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n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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wrath
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n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒 | |
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bribe
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n.贿赂;v.向…行贿,买通 | |
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folly
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n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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gulf
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n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 | |
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torment
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n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠 | |
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pester
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v.纠缠,强求 | |
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plunder
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vt.劫掠财物,掠夺;n.劫掠物,赃物;劫掠 | |
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mischievous
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adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的 | |
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savagely
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adv. 野蛮地,残酷地 | |
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theatricals
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n.(业余性的)戏剧演出,舞台表演艺术;职业演员;戏剧的( theatrical的名词复数 );剧场的;炫耀的;戏剧性的 | |
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defiant
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adj.无礼的,挑战的 | |
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streak
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n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动 | |
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flinching
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v.(因危险和痛苦)退缩,畏惧( flinch的现在分词 ) | |
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steadily
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adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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stammered
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v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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versatile
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adj.通用的,万用的;多才多艺的,多方面的 | |
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