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Chapter 2
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Seldon sighed as he climbed into one of the skitters that were ranked side by side in the large alcove1. There had been a time, just a few years ago, when he had gloried in walking briskly along the interminable corridors of the Library, telling himself that even though he was past sixty he could manage it.
But now, at seventy, his legs gave way all too quickly and he had to take a skitter. Younger men took them all the time because skitters saved them trouble, but Seldon did it because he had to-and that made all the difference.
After Seldon punched in the destination, he closed a contact and the skitter lifted a fraction of an inch above the floor. Off it went at a rather casual pace, very smoothly2, very silently, and Seldon leaned back and watched the corridor walls, the other skitters, the occasional walkers.
He passed a number of Librarians and, even after all these years, he still smiled when he saw them. They were the oldest Guild3 in the Empire, the one with the most revered4 traditions, and they clung to ways that were more appropriate centuries before-maybe millennia5 before.
Their garments were silky and off-white and were loose enough to be almost gownlike, coming together at the neck and billowing out from there.
Trantor, like all the worlds, oscillated, where the males were concerned, between facial hair and smoothness. The people of Trantor itself -or at least most of its sectors-were smooth-shaven and had been smooth-shaven for as far back as he knew-excepting such anomalies as the mustaches worn by Dahlites, such as his own foster son, Raych.
The Librarians, however, clung to the beards of long ago. Every Librarian had a rather short neatly6 cultivated beard running from ear to ear but leaving bare the upper lip. That alone was enough to mark them for what they were and to make the smooth-shaven Seldon feel a little uncomfortable when surrounded by a crowd of them.
Actually the most characteristic thing of all was the cap each wore (perhaps even when asleep, Seldon thought). Square, it was made of a
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1
alcove
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n.凹室 | |
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2
smoothly
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adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地 | |
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3
guild
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n.行会,同业公会,协会 | |
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4
revered
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v.崇敬,尊崇,敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
millennia
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n.一千年,千禧年 | |
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6
neatly
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adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 | |
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7
velvety
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adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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8
apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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9
lore
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n.传说;学问,经验,知识 | |
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10
expertise
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n.专门知识(或技能等),专长 | |
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11
accomplishment
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n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能 | |
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12
galaxy
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n.星系;银河系;一群(杰出或著名的人物) | |
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13
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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14
doorway
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n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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15
tenor
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n.男高音(歌手),次中音(乐器),要旨,大意 | |
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16
halfway
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adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途 | |
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17
ostentation
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n.夸耀,卖弄 | |
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18
rehearsal
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n.排练,排演;练习 | |
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19
colonized
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开拓殖民地,移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
revolves
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v.(使)旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 );细想 | |
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21
prospective
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adj.预期的,未来的,前瞻性的 | |
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22
colonists
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n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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23
archaic
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adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的,已不通用的 | |
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24
jurisdiction
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n.司法权,审判权,管辖权,控制权 | |
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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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isolated
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adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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27
encyclopedia
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n.百科全书 | |
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epitome
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n.典型,梗概 | |
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celebrated
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adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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30
abashed
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adj.窘迫的,尴尬的v.使羞愧,使局促,使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
pang
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n.剧痛,悲痛,苦闷 | |
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labors
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v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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