WHEN A MAN sees an animal dying, a horror comes over him. What he is himself—his essence, visibly before his eyes, perishes—ceases to exist. But when the dying creature is a man and a man dearly loved, then, besides the horror at the extinction1 of life, what is felt is a rending2 of the soul, a spiritual wound, which, like a physical wound, is sometimes mortal, sometimes healed, but always aches and shrinks from contact with the outer world, that sets it smarting.
After Prince Andrey's death, Natasha and Princess Marya both alike felt this. Crushed in spirit, they closed their eyes under the menacing cloud of death that hovered3 about them, and dared not look life in the face. Carefully they guarded their open wounds from every rough and painful touch. Everything—the carriage driving along the street, the summons to dinner, the maid asking which dress to get out; worse still—words of faint, feigned4 sympathy—set the wound smarting, seemed an insult to it, and jarred on that needful silence in which both were trying to listen to the stern, terrible litany that had not yet died away in their ears, and to gaze into the mysterious, endless vistas5 that seemed for a moment to have been unveiled before them.
Only alone together were they safe from such outrage6 and pain. They said little to one another. When they did speak, it was about the most trivial subjects. And both equally avoided all mention of anything connected with the future.
To admit the possibility of a future seemed to them an insult to his memory. Still more circumspectly7 did they avoid in their talk all that could be connected with the dead man. It seemed to them that what they had felt and gone through could not be expressed in words. It seemed to them that every allusion8 in words to the details of his life was an outrage on the
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1
extinction
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n.熄灭,消亡,消灭,灭绝,绝种 |
参考例句: |
- The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
- The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。
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2
rending
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v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 );分裂;(因愤怒、痛苦等而)揪扯(衣服或头发等);(声音等)刺破 |
参考例句: |
- The cries of those imprisoned in the fallen buildings were heart-rending. 被困于倒塌大楼里的人们的哭喊声令人心碎。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- She was rending her hair out in anger. 她气愤得直扯自己的头发。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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3
hovered
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鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 |
参考例句: |
- A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
- A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。
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4
feigned
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a.假装的,不真诚的 |
参考例句: |
- He feigned indifference to criticism of his work. 他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
- He accepted the invitation with feigned enthusiasm. 他假装热情地接受了邀请。
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5
vistas
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长条形景色( vista的名词复数 ); 回顾; 展望; (未来可能发生的)一系列情景 |
参考例句: |
- This new job could open up whole new vistas for her. 这项新工作可能给她开辟全新的前景。
- The picture is small but It'shows broad vistas. 画幅虽然不大,所表现的天地却十分广阔。
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6
outrage
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n.暴行,侮辱,愤怒;vt.凌辱,激怒 |
参考例句: |
- When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
- We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。
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7
circumspectly
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adv.慎重地,留心地 |
参考例句: |
- He paid for two tickets as circumspectly as possible. 他小心翼翼地付了两张票的钱。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
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8
allusion
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n.暗示,间接提示 |
参考例句: |
- He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
- She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。
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9
grandeur
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n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 |
参考例句: |
- The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
- These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。
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10
accomplished
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adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 |
参考例句: |
- Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
- Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
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11
vividly
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adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地 |
参考例句: |
- The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
- The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。
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12
isolation
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n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离 |
参考例句: |
- The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
- He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
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13
guardian
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n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 |
参考例句: |
- The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
- The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
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14
trifling
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adj.微不足道的;没什么价值的 |
参考例句: |
- They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
- So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利,不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。
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15
solitary
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adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 |
参考例句: |
- I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
- The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际,显得十分壮美。
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16
aloof
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adj.远离的;冷淡的,漠不关心的 |
参考例句: |
- Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
- On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。
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17
deserted
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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。
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18
huddled
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挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) |
参考例句: |
- We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
- We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。
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19
fixed
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adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 |
参考例句: |
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
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20
solitude
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n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 |
参考例句: |
- People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
- They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
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21
exhausted
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adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
- Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
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22
impatience
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n.不耐烦,急躁 |
参考例句: |
- He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢,他显得不耐烦。
- He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
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23
verge
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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。
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24
penetrating
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adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的 |
参考例句: |
- He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。
- He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。
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25
nervously
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adv.神情激动地,不安地 |
参考例句: |
- He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
- He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
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crumpling
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压皱,弄皱( crumple的现在分词 ); 变皱 |
参考例句: |
- His crumpling body bent low from years of carrying heavy loads. 由于经年累月的负重,他那皱巴巴的身子被压得弯弯的。
- This apparently took the starch out of the fast-crumpling opposition. 这显然使正在迅速崩溃的反对党泄了气。
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humiliation
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n.羞辱 |
参考例句: |
- He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
- He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。
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velvet
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n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 |
参考例句: |
- This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
- The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
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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 ) |
参考例句: |
- He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
- This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。
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tremor
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n.震动,颤动,战栗,兴奋,地震 |
参考例句: |
- There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
- A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。
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bind
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vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 |
参考例句: |
- I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
- He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。
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invalid
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n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 |
参考例句: |
- He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
- A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
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everlasting
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adj.永恒的,持久的,无止境的 |
参考例句: |
- These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
- He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。
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34
wringing
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淋湿的,湿透的 |
参考例句: |
- He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
- He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。
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shrouded
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v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 );保密 |
参考例句: |
- The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
- The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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36
rattle
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v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 |
参考例句: |
- The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓,笑着叫着。
- She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。
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37
abruptly
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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。
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38
heed
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v.注意,留意;n.注意,留心 |
参考例句: |
- You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
- For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。
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gasped
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v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 |
参考例句: |
- She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
- People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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40
sobbing
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<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 |
参考例句: |
- I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
- Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。
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