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CHAPTER IX. LOCUSTS.

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 Locusts1 lay their eggs in large masses, in the autumn, in holes which they form in the ground. These eggs remain underground throughout the winter, and in the ensuing year, at the close of spring, small locusts issue from them, of a black color. A wet spring destroys their eggs, while, if it is dry, they multiply in great abundance.
 
Locusts are produced only in champaign places, that are full of chinks and crannies. In India, it is said that they attain3 the length of three[196] feet, and that the people dry the legs and thighs4, and use them for saws. Sometimes the winds carry off these creatures in vast swarms5, upon which they fall into the sea or standing6 waters, and perish. Some authors have stated, that they are unable to fly during the night, in consequence of the cold, being ignorant of the fact that they travel over lengthened7 tracts8 of sea for many days together, a thing the more to be wondered at, as they have to endure hunger all the time as well, for this it is which causes them to be thus seeking pastures in other lands. Such a visitation 249 is looked upon as a plague inflicted9 by the anger of the gods; for as they fly they appear to be larger than they really are, while they make such a loud noise with their wings, that they might be readily supposed to be winged creatures of quite another species. Their numbers, too, are so vast, that they quite darken the sun; while the people below are anxiously following them with the eye, to see if they are about to make a descent, and so cover their lands. After all, they have the requisite10 energies for their flight; and, as though it had been but a

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1 locusts 0fe5a4959a3a774517196dcd411abf1e     
n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树
参考例句：
  • a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
  • In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 locust m8Dzk     
n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐
参考例句：
  • A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
  • This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。
3 attain HvYzX     
vt.达到，获得，完成
参考例句：
  • I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
  • His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。
4 thighs e4741ffc827755fcb63c8b296150ab4e     
n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿
参考例句：
  • He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 swarms 73349eba464af74f8ce6c65b07a6114c     
蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
  • On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。
6 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
7 lengthened 4c0dbc9eb35481502947898d5e9f0a54     
（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
  • He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。
8 tracts fcea36d422dccf9d9420a7dd83bea091     
大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文
参考例句：
  • vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
  • There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。
9 inflicted cd6137b3bb7ad543500a72a112c6680f     
把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
  • Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。
10 requisite 2W0xu     
adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品
参考例句：
  • He hasn't got the requisite qualifications for the job.他不具备这工作所需的资格。
  • Food and air are requisite for life.食物和空气是生命的必需品。
11 trifling SJwzX     
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。
12 bode tWOz8     
v.预示
参考例句：
  • These figures do not bode well for the company's future.这些数字显示出公司的前景不妙。
  • His careful habits bode well for his future.他那认真的习惯预示著他会有好的前途。
13 scorching xjqzPr     
adj. 灼热的
参考例句：
  • a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
  • a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评
14 devastate PZRzy     
v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒
参考例句：
  • A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
  • Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。
15 sibylline IiTz8j     
adj.预言的；神巫的
参考例句：
  • In these sibylline leaves are gathered the scattered prophecies of the past upon the cases in which the axe will fall.在这些提供预言的书卷中收集了过去对于一些案件的零散预言，在这些案件中，危险会降临。
  • A young girl in the village found a sibylline book.村里的一个小女孩捡到过一本预言书。
16 apprehensions 86177204327b157a6d884cdb536098d8     
疑惧
参考例句：
  • He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
  • But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。
17 impending 3qHzdb     
a.imminent, about to come or happen
参考例句：
  • Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
  • The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。
18 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
19 incurs 06475a6a1db5cdda9852157e2c9c127b     
遭受，招致，引起( incur的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
  • She falls in love and incurs the wrath of her father. 她恋爱了，这引起了父亲的愤怒。
  • A judge incurs no civil liability for judicial acts, even if guilty of fraud and corruption. 法官不得因其司法行为而承担民事责任，即使犯有诈欺与贪污罪。 来自口语例句
20 fixed JsKzzj     
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。
21 magistrates bbe4eeb7cda0f8fbf52949bebe84eb3e     
地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
  • He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。
22 martial bBbx7     
adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的
参考例句：
  • The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
  • The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。
23 grasshopper ufqxG     
n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱
参考例句：
  • He thought he had made an end of the little grasshopper.他以为把那个小蚱蜢干掉了。
  • The grasshopper could not find anything to eat.蚱蜢找不到任何吃的东西。

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