The weather was
overcast1 but settled, when we commenced our
adventurous2 and
perilous3 journey. We had neither to fear
fatiguing4 heat nor
drenching5 rain. It was, in fact, real tourist weather.
As there was nothing I liked better than horse exercise, the pleasure of riding through an unknown country caused the early part of our enterprise to be particularly agreeable to me.
I began to enjoy the exhilarating delight of traveling, a life of desire, gratification and liberty. The truth is, that my spirits rose so rapidly, that I began to be indifferent to what had once appeared to be a terrible journey.
"After all," I said to myself, "what do I risk? Simply to take a journey through a curious country, to climb a
remarkable6 mountain, and if the worst comes to the worst, to
descend7 into the
crater8 of an extinct volcano."
There could be no doubt that this was all this terrible Saknussemm had done. As to the existence of a gallery, or of subterraneous passages leading into the interior of the earth, the idea was simply absurd, the hallucination of a distempered imagination. All, then, that may be required of me I will do cheerfully, and will create no difficulty.
It was just before we left Reykjavik that I came to this decision.
Hans, our extraordinary guide, went first, walking with a steady, rapid, unvarying step. Our two horses with the luggage followed of their own accord, without requiring whip or spur. My uncle and I came behind, cutting a very tolerable figure upon our small but vigorous animals.
Iceland is one of the largest islands in Europe. It contains thirty thousand square miles of surface, and has about seventy thousand inhabitants.
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收听单词发音
1
overcast
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adj.阴天的,阴暗的,愁闷的;v.遮盖,(使)变暗,包边缝;n.覆盖,阴天 |
参考例句: |
- The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
- The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。
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2
adventurous
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adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 |
参考例句: |
- I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
- He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。
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3
perilous
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adj.危险的,冒险的 |
参考例句: |
- The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
- We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机,我们如今已安然无恙。
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4
fatiguing
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a.使人劳累的 |
参考例句: |
- He was fatiguing himself with his writing, no doubt. 想必他是拼命写作,写得精疲力尽了。
- Machines are much less fatiguing to your hands, arms, and back. 使用机器时,手、膊和后背不会感到太累。
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5
drenching
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n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 );在某人(某物)上大量使用(某液体) |
参考例句: |
- A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午,一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
- A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了,越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句
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6
remarkable
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adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 |
参考例句: |
- She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
- These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
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7
descend
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vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 |
参考例句: |
- I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
- We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
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8
crater
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n.火山口,弹坑 |
参考例句: |
- With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
- They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。
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9
fully
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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。
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10
geographers
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地理学家( geographer的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- Geographers study the configuration of the mountains. 地理学家研究山脉的地形轮廓。
- Many geographers now call this landmass Eurasia. 许多地理学家现在把这块陆地叫作欧亚大陆。
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11
vernacular
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adj.地方的,用地方语写成的;n.白话;行话;本国语;动植物的俗名 |
参考例句: |
- The house is built in a vernacular style.这房子按当地的风格建筑。
- The traditional Chinese vernacular architecture is an epitome of Chinese traditional culture.中国传统民居建筑可谓中国传统文化的缩影。
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12
sparse
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adj.稀疏的,稀稀落落的,薄的 |
参考例句: |
- The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区,那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
- The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。
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13
rugged
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adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 |
参考例句: |
- Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
- The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。
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14
misty
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adj.雾蒙蒙的,有雾的 |
参考例句: |
- He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿,看看是不是还有雾霭。
- The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。
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15
flakes
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小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 |
参考例句: |
- It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
- It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。
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16
conspicuous
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adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 |
参考例句: |
- It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显,抽烟对健康有害。
- Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。
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17
pointed
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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。
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18
arid
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adj.干旱的;(土地)贫瘠的 |
参考例句: |
- These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
- There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
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19
utterly
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adv.完全地,绝对地 |
参考例句: |
- Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
- I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
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20
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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21
touching
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adj.动人的,使人感伤的 |
参考例句: |
- It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
- His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
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22
centaur
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n.人首马身的怪物 |
参考例句: |
- His face reminded me somehow of a centaur.他的脸使我想起半人半马的怪物。
- No wonder he had soon been hustled away to centaur school.也难怪父母匆匆忙忙就把他送到了半人马学校。
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23
glides
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n.滑行( glide的名词复数 );滑音;音渡;过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 |
参考例句: |
- The new dance consists of a series of glides. 这种新舞蹈中有一连串的滑步。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The stately swan glides gracefully on the pond. 天鹅在池面上优美地游动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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24
hesitation
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n.犹豫,踌躇 |
参考例句: |
- After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
- There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
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25
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 |
参考例句: |
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
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26
fatigued
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adj. 疲乏的 |
参考例句: |
- The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
- The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑,疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。
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27
cramp
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n.痉挛;[pl.](腹)绞痛;vt.限制,束缚 |
参考例句: |
- Winston stopped writing,partly because he was suffering from cramp.温斯顿驻了笔,手指也写麻了。
- The swimmer was seized with a cramp and had to be helped out of the water.那个在游泳的人突然抽起筋来,让别人帮着上了岸。
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28
isolated
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adj.与世隔绝的 |
参考例句: |
- His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
- Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。
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29
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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30
lava
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n.熔岩,火山岩 |
参考例句: |
- The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
- His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。
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31
miserable
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adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 |
参考例句: |
- It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
- Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
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32
obliterated
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v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 );涂去;擦掉;彻底破坏或毁灭 |
参考例句: |
- The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
- He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝,喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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33
situated
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adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 |
参考例句: |
- The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
- She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
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34
savage
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adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 |
参考例句: |
- The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
- He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。
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35
volcanic
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adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的 |
参考例句: |
- There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
- Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
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36
eruptions
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n.喷发,爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句
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38
winding
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n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 |
参考例句: |
- A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
- The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
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39
desolate
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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。
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40
phenomena
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n.现象 |
参考例句: |
- Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
- The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系,如果存在着任何联系的话。
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41
strata
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n.地层(复数);社会阶层 |
参考例句: |
- The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
- They represent all social strata.他们代表各个社会阶层。
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42
agglomerations
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n.成团,结块(agglomeration的复数形式) |
参考例句: |
- Shandong Peninsula Agglomerations are the most developed region of Shandong Province. 山东半岛城市群是山东省经济最发达的地区。 来自互联网
- Homogeneous mixing and moistening without the formation of agglomerations or wet spots. 均一的混合和湿度,没有球团或者滴水斑点的产生。 来自互联网
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43
chaos
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n.混乱,无秩序 |
参考例句: |
- After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后,城市一片混乱。
- The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。
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44
frugal
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adj.节俭的,节约的,少量的,微量的 |
参考例句: |
- He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人,但生活俭朴。
- The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。
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45
laconic
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adj.简洁的;精练的 |
参考例句: |
- He sent me a laconic private message.他给我一封简要的私人函件。
- This response was typical of the writer's laconic wit.这个回答反映了这位作家精练简明的特点。
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46
grimace
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v.做鬼脸,面部歪扭 |
参考例句: |
- The boy stole a look at his father with grimace.那男孩扮着鬼脸偷看了他父亲一眼。
- Thomas made a grimace after he had tasted the wine.托马斯尝了那葡萄酒后做了个鬼脸。
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47
imperturbable
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adj.镇静的 |
参考例句: |
- Thomas,of course,was cool and aloof and imperturbable.当然,托马斯沉着、冷漠,不易激动。
- Edward was a model of good temper and his equanimity imperturbable.爱德华是个典型的好性子,他总是沉着镇定。
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48
apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 |
参考例句: |
- An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
- He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
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49
gulf
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n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 |
参考例句: |
- The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
- There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
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50
communal
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adj.公有的,公共的,公社的,公社制的 |
参考例句: |
- There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
- The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。
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51
jurisdiction
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n.司法权,审判权,管辖权,控制权 |
参考例句: |
- It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
- Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。
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52
edifices
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n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- They complain that the monstrous edifices interfere with television reception. 他们抱怨说,那些怪物般的庞大建筑,干扰了电视接收。 来自辞典例句
- Wealthy officials and landlords built these queer edifices a thousand years ago. 有钱的官吏和地主在一千年前就修建了这种奇怪的建筑物。 来自辞典例句
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53
refreshment
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n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点 |
参考例句: |
- He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
- A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
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54
chapel
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n.小教堂,殡仪馆 |
参考例句: |
- The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
- She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午,她在小教堂的演出,可以说是登峰造极。
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55
sweeping
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adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 |
参考例句: |
- The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
- Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
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56
mighty
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adj.强有力的;巨大的 |
参考例句: |
- A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
- The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
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57
hue
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n.色度;色调;样子 |
参考例句: |
- The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
- The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。
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58
sniffed
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v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说 |
参考例句: |
- When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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59
obstinate
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adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 |
参考例句: |
- She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了,不会让任何人帮她的。
- The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。
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60
demonstration
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n.表明,示范,论证,示威 |
参考例句: |
- His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
- He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
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62
upwards
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adv.向上,在更高处...以上 |
参考例句: |
- The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
- The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。
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63
pony
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adj.小型的;n.小马 |
参考例句: |
- His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
- They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。
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64
standing
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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。
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65
cavalry
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n.骑兵;轻装甲部队 |
参考例句: |
- We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
- The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。
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66
considerably
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adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 |
参考例句: |
- The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
- The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
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67
thoroughly
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adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 |
参考例句: |
- The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
- The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
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68
ebb
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vi.衰退,减退;n.处于低潮,处于衰退状态 |
参考例句: |
- The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other.涨潮和落潮交替更迭。
- They swam till the tide began to ebb.他们一直游到开始退潮。
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69
oars
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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》
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70
locomotion
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n.运动,移动 |
参考例句: |
- By land,air or sea,birds are masters of locomotion.无论是通过陆地,飞越空中还是穿过海洋,鸟应算是运动能手了。
- Food sources also elicit oriented locomotion and recognition behavior patterns in most insects.食物源也引诱大多数昆虫定向迁移和识别行为。
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