After getting this sudden lesson in the power of terrestrial weapons, the Martians retreated to their original position upon Horsell Common; and in their haste, and encumbered¹ with the de'bris of their smashed companion, they no doubt overlooked many such a stray and negligible victim as myself. Had they left their comrade and pushed on forthwith, there was nothing at that time between them and London but batteries of twelve-pounder guns, and they would certainly have reached the capital in advance of the tidings of their approach; as sudden, dreadful, and destructive their advent² would have been as the earthquake that destroyed Lisbon a century ago.

But they were in no hurry. Cylinder³ followed cylinder on its interplanetary flight; every twenty-four hours brought them reinforcement. And meanwhile the military and naval⁴ authorities, now fully⁵ alive to the tremendous power of their antagonists⁶, worked with furious energy. Every minute a fresh gun came into position until, before twilight⁷, every copse, every row of suburban⁸ villas⁹ on the hilly slopes about Kingston and Richmond, masked an expectant black muzzle¹⁰. And through the charred¹¹ and desolated¹² area--perhaps twenty square miles altogether--that encircled the Martian encampment on Horsell Common, through charred and ruined villages among the green trees, through the blackened and smoking

点击收听单词发音  

1 encumbered
v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The police operation was encumbered by crowds of reporters. 警方的行动被成群的记者所妨碍。 The narrow quay was encumbered by hundreds of carts. 狭窄的码头被数百辆手推车堵得水泄不通。 来自辞典例句

2 advent
n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临
参考例句：
Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。 The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

3 cylinder
n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸
参考例句：
What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？ The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。

4 naval
adj.海军的，军舰的，船的
参考例句：
He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。 The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

5 fully
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。

6 antagonists
对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药
参考例句：
The cavalier defeated all the antagonists. 那位骑士打败了所有的敌手。 The result was the entire reconstruction of the navies of both the antagonists. 双方的海军就从这场斗争里获得了根本的改造。

7 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

8 suburban
adj.城郊的，在郊区的
参考例句：
Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。 There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

9 villas
别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅
参考例句：
Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。 Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。

10 muzzle
n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默
参考例句：
He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。 The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。

11 charred
v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦
参考例句：
the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸 The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 desolated
adj.荒凉的，荒废的
参考例句：
Her death desolated him. 她的死使他很痛苦。 War has desolated that city. 战争毁坏了那个城市。

13 desolate
adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂
参考例句：
The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。 We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

14 arcades
n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物
参考例句：
Clothes are on sale in several shopping arcades these days. 近日一些服装店的服装正在大减价。 来自轻松英语会话---联想4000词(下) The Plaza Mayor, with its galleries and arcades, is particularly impressive. 市长大厦以其别具风格的走廊和拱廊给人留下十分深刻的印象。 来自互联网

15 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

16 scouts
侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员
参考例句：
to join the Scouts 参加童子军 The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

17 artillery
n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)
参考例句：
This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。 The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

18 proximity
n.接近，邻近
参考例句：
Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。 Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

19 descended
a.为...后裔的，出身于...的
参考例句：
A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。 The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

20 dense
a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的
参考例句：
The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

21 sodden
adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑
参考例句：
We stripped off our sodden clothes.我们扒下了湿透的衣服。 The cardboard was sodden and fell apart in his hands.纸板潮得都发酥了，手一捏就碎。

22 oars
n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。 The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 contrived
adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的
参考例句：
There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。 The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

24 overthrow
v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆
参考例句：
After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。 The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

25 deserted
adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
参考例句：
The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。 The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

26 tranquil
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的
参考例句：
The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。 The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

27 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

28 scorched
烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦
参考例句：
I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。 The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

29 spurt
v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆
参考例句：
He put in a spurt at the beginning of the eighth lap.他进入第八圈时便开始冲刺。 After a silence, Molly let her anger spurt out.沉默了一会儿，莫莉的怒气便迸发了出来。

30 dozed
v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 flickering
adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的
参考例句：
The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。 The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

32 flicker
vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现
参考例句：
There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。 At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时，光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现，几乎并不灿烂。

33 tinted
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
a pair of glasses with tinted lenses 一副有色镜片眼镜 a rose-tinted vision of the world 对世界的理想化看法

34 rustle
v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声
参考例句：
She heard a rustle in the bushes.她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。 He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze.他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。

35 abruptly
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。 I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

36 spoke
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。

37 undone
a.未做完的，未完成的
参考例句：
He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

38 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

39 fugitive
adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者
参考例句：
The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。 The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

40 verge
n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临
参考例句：
The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。 She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

41 plentiful
adj.富裕的，丰富的
参考例句：
Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。 Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

42 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

43 collapses
折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下
参考例句：
This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。 Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

44 calamity
n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件
参考例句：
Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。 The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

45 exempted
使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 他因视力不好而免服兵役。 Her illness exempted her from the examination. 她因病而免试。

46 mightier
adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其
参考例句：
But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier. 但是，这种组织总是重新产生，并且一次比一次更强大，更坚固，更有力。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言 Do you believe that the pen is mightier than the sword? 你相信笔杆的威力大于武力吗？

47 sane
adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的
参考例句：
He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。 He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

48 wary
adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的
参考例句：
He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。 Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

49 gathering
n.集会，聚会，聚集
参考例句：
He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。 He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

50 resonance
n.洪亮；共鸣；共振
参考例句：
Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

51 weird
adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的
参考例句：
From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。 His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

52 northward
adv.向北；n.北方的地区
参考例句：
He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。 I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。