Chapter 19
The next day, the 8th day of January, after a day and night passed at the corral, where they left all in order, Cyrus Harding and Ayrton arrived at Granite1 House.
The engineer immediately called his companions together, and informed them of the imminent2 danger which threatened Lincoln Island, and from which no human power could deliver them.
“My friends,” he said, and his voice betrayed the depth of his emotion, “our island is not among those which will endure while this earth endures. It is doomed3 to more or less speedy destruction, the cause of which it bears within itself, and from which nothing can save it.”
The colonists4 looked at each other, then at the engineer. They did not clearly comprehend him.
“Explain yourself, Cyrus!” said Gideon Spilett.
“I will do so,” replied Cyrus Harding, “or rather I will simply afford you the explanation which, during our few minutes of private conversation, was given me by Captain Nemo.”
“Captain Nemo!” exclaimed the colonists.
“Yes, and it was the last service he desired to render us before his death!”
“The last service!” exclaimed Pencroft, “the last service! You will see that though he is dead he will render us others yet!”
“But what did the captain say?” inquired the reporter.
“I will tell you, my friends,” said the engineer. “Lincoln Island does not resemble the other islands of the Pacific, and a fact of which Captain Nemo has made me cognizant must sooner or later bring about the subversion5 of its foundation.”
“Nonsense! Lincoln Island, it can’t be!” cried Pencroft, who, in spite of the respect he felt for Cyrus Harding, could not prevent a gesture of incredulity.
“Listen, Pencroft,” resumed the engineer, “I will tell you what Captain Nemo communicated to me, and which I myself confirmed yesterday, during the exploration of Dakkar Grotto6.
“This cavern7 stretches under the island as far as the volcano, and is only separated from its central shaft8 by the wall which terminates it. Now, this wall is seamed with fissures9 and clefts10 which already allow the sulphurous gases generated in the interior of the volcano to escape.”
“Well?” said Pencroft, his brow suddenly contracting.
“Well, then, I saw that these fissures widen under the internal pressure from within, that the wall of basalt is gradually giving way and that after a longer or shorter period it will afford a passage to the waters of the lake which fill the cavern.”
“Good!” replied Pencroft, with an attempt at pleasantry. “The sea will extinguish the volcano, and there will be an end of the matter!”
“Not so!” said Cyrus Harding, “should a day arrive when the sea, rushing through the wall of the cavern, penetrates11 by the central shaft into the interior of the island to the boiling lava12, Lincoln Island will that day be blown into the air—just as would happen to the island of Sicily were the Mediterranean13 to precipitate14 itself into Mount Etna.”
The colonists made no answer to these significant words of the engineer. They now understood the danger by which they were menaced.
It may be added that Cyrus Harding had in no way exaggerated the danger to be apprehended15. Many persons have formed an idea that it would be possible to extinguish volcanoes, which are almost always situated16 on the shores of a sea or lake, by opening a passage for the admission of the water. But they are not aware that this would be to incur17 the risk of blowing up a portion of the globe, like a boiler18 whose steam is suddenly expanded by intense heat. The water, rushing into a cavity whose temperature might be estimated at thousands of degrees, would be converted into steam with a sudden energy which no enclosure could resist.
It was not therefore doubtful that the island, menaced by a frightful19 and approaching convulsion, would endure only so long as the wall of Dakkar Grotto itself should endure. It was not even a question of months, nor of weeks, but of days; it might be of hours.
The first sentiment which the colonists felt was that of profound sorrow. They thought not so much of the peril20 which menaced themselves personally, but of the destruction of the island which had sheltered them, which they had cultivated, which they loved so well, and had hoped to render so flourishing. So much effort ineffectually expended21, so much labor lost.
Pencroft could not prevent a large tear from rolling down his cheek, nor did he attempt to conceal22 it.
Some further conversation now took place. The chances yet in favor of the colonists were discussed; but finally it was agreed that there was not an hour to be lost, that the building and fitting of the vessel23 should be pushed forward with their utmost energy, and that this was the sole chance of safety for the inhabitants of Lincoln Island.
All hands, therefore, set to work on the vessel. What could it avail to sow, to reap, to hunt, to increase the stores of Granite House? The contents of the storehouse and outbuildings contained more than sufficient to provide the ship for a voyage, however long might be its duration. But it was imperative24 that the ship should be ready to receive them before the inevitable25 catastrophe26 should arrive.
Their labors27 were now carried on with feverish28 ardor29. By the 23rd of January the vessel was half-decked over. Up to this time no change had taken place on the summit of the volcano. Vapor30 and smoke mingled31 with flames and incandescent32 stones were thrown up from the crater33. But during the night of the 23rd, in consequence34 of the lava attaining35 the level of the first stratum36 of the volcano, the hat-shaped cone37 which formed over the latter disappeared. A frightful sound was heard. The colonists at first thought the island was rent asunder38, and rushed out of Granite House.
This occurred about two o’clock in the morning.
The sky appeared on fire. The superior cone, a mass of rock a thousand feet in height, and weighing thousands of millions of pounds, had been thrown down upon the island, making it tremble to its foundation. Fortunately, this cone inclined to the north, and had fallen upon the plain of sand and tufa stretching between the volcano and the sea. The aperture39 of the crater being thus enlarged projected towards the sky a glare so intense that by the simple effect of reflection the atmosphere appeared red-hot. At the same time a torrent40 of lava, bursting from the new summit, poured out in long cascades41, like water escaping from a vase too full, and a thousand tongues of fire crept over the sides of the volcano.
“The corral! the corral!” exclaimed Ayrton.
It was, in fact, towards the corral that the lava was rushing as the new crater faced the east, and consequently the fertile portions of the island, the springs of Red Creek42 and Jacamar Wood, were menaced with instant destruction.
At Ayrton’s cry the colonists rushed to the onagers’ stables. The cart was at once harnessed. All were possessed43 by the same thought—to hasten to the corral and set at liberty the animals it enclosed.
Before three in the morning they arrived at the corral. The cries of the terrified musmons and goats indicated the alarm which possessed them. Already a torrent of burning matter and liquefied minerals fell from the side of the mountain upon the meadows as far as the side of the palisade. The gate was burst open by Ayrton, and the animals, bewildered with terror, fled in all directions.
An hour afterwards the boiling lava filled the corral, converting into vapor the water of the little rivulet44 which ran through it, burning up the house like dry grass, and leaving not even a post of the palisade to mark the spot where the corral once stood.
To contend against this disaster would have been folly—nay, madness. In presence of Nature’s grand convulsions man is powerless.
It was now daylight—the 24th of January. Cyrus Harding and his companions, before returning to Granite House, desired to ascertain45 the probable direction this inundation46 of lava was about to take. The soil sloped gradually from Mount Franklin to the east coast, and it was to be feared that, in spite of the thick Jacamar Wood, the torrent would reach the plateau of Prospect47 Heights.
“The lake will cover us,” said Gideon Spilett.
“I hope so!” was Cyrus Harding’s only reply.
The colonists were desirous of reaching the plain upon which the superior cone of Mount Franklin had fallen, but the lava arrested their progress. It had followed, on one side, the valley of Red Creek, and on the other that of Falls River, evaporating those watercourses in its passage. There was no possibility of crossing the torrent of lava; on the contrary, the colonists were obliged to retreat before it. The volcano, without its crown, was no longer recognizable, terminated as it was by a sort of flat table which replaced the ancient crater. From two openings in its southern and eastern sides an unceasing flow of lava poured forth48, thus forming two distinct streams. Above the new crater a cloud of smoke and ashes, mingled with those of the atmosphere, massed over the island. Loud peals49 of thunder broke, and could scarcely be distinguished50 from the rumblings of the mountain, whose mouth vomited51 forth ignited rocks, which, hurled52 to more than a thousand feet, burst in the air like shells. Flashes of lightning rivaled in intensity53 the volcano’s eruption54.
Towards seven in the morning the position was no longer tenable by the colonists, who accordingly took shelter in the borders of Jacamar Wood. Not only did the projectiles55 begin to rain around them, but the lava, overflowing56 the bed of Red Creek, threatened to cut off the road to the corral. The nearest rows of trees caught fire, and their sap, suddenly transformed into vapor, caused them to explode with loud reports, while others, less moist, remained unhurt in the midst of the inundation.
The colonists had again taken the road to the corral. They proceeded but slowly, frequently looking back; but, in consequence of the inclination58 of the soil, the lava gained rapidly in the east, and as its lower waves became solidified59 others, at boiling heat, covered them immediately.
Meanwhile, the principal stream of Red Creek Valley became more and more menacing. All this portion of the forest was on fire, and enormous wreaths of smoke rolled over the trees, whose trunks were already consumed by the lava.
The colonists halted near the lake, about half a mile from the mouth of Red Creek. A question of life or death was now to be decided60.
Cyrus Harding, accustomed to the consideration of important crises, and aware that he was addressing men capable of hearing the truth, whatever it might be, then said,—
“Either the lake will arrest the progress of the lava, and a part of the island will be preserved from utter destruction, or the stream will overrun the forests of the Far West, and not a tree or plant will remain on the surface of the soil. We shall have no prospect but that of starvation upon these barren rocks—a death which will probably be anticipated by the explosion of the island.”
“In that case,” replied Pencroft, folding his arms and stamping his foot, “what’s the use of working any longer on the vessel?”
“Pencroft,” answered Cyrus Harding, “we must do our duty to the last!”
At this instant the river of lava, after having broken a passage through the noble trees it devoured61 in its course, reached the borders of the lake. At this point there was an elevation62 of the soil which, had it been greater, might have sufficed to arrest the torrent.
“To work!” cried Cyrus Harding.
The engineer’s thought was at once understood. It might be possible to dam, as it were, the torrent, and thus compel it to pour itself into the lake.
The colonists hastened to the dockyard. They returned with shovels63, picks, axes, and by means of banking64 the earth with the aid of fallen trees they succeeded in a few hours in raising an embankment three feet high and some hundreds of paces in length. It seemed to them, when they had finished, as if they had scarcely been working more than a few minutes.
It was not a moment too soon. The liquefied substances soon after reached the bottom of the barrier. The stream of lava swelled65 like a river about to overflow57 its banks, and threatened to demolish66 the sole obstacle which could prevent it from overrunning the whole Far West. But the dam held firm, and after a moment of terrible suspense67 the torrent precipitated68 itself into Grant Lake from a height of twenty feet.
The colonists, without moving or uttering a word, breathlessly regarded this strife69 of the two elements.
What a spectacle was this conflict between water and fire! What pen could describe the marvelous horror of this scene—what pencil could depict70 it? The water hissed71 as it evaporated by contact with the boiling lava. The vapor whirled in the air to an immeasurable height, as if the valves of an immense boiler had been suddenly opened. But, however considerable might be the volume of water contained in the lake, it must eventually be absorbed, because it was not replenished72, while the stream of lava, fed from an inexhaustible source, rolled on without ceasing new waves of incandescent matter.
The first waves of lava which fell in the lake immediately solidified and accumulated so as speedily to emerge from it. Upon their surface fell other waves, which in their turn became stone, but a step nearer the center of the lake. In this manner was formed a pier73 which threatened to gradually fill up the lake, which could not overflow, the water displaced by the lava being evaporated. The hissing74 of the water rent the air with a deafening75 sound, and the vapor, blown by the wind, fell in rain upon the sea. The pier became longer and longer, and the blocks of lava piled themselves one on another. Where formerly76 stretched the calm waters of the lake now appeared an enormous mass of smoking rocks, as if an upheaving of the soil had formed immense shoals. Imagine the waters of the lake aroused by a hurricane, then suddenly solidified by an intense frost, and some conception may be formed of the aspect of the lake three hours after the eruption of this irresistible77 torrent of lava.
This time water would be vanquished78 by fire.
Nevertheless it was a fortunate circumstance for the colonists that the effusion of lava should have been in the direction of Lake Grant. They had before them some days’ respite79. The plateau of Prospect Heights, Granite House, and the dockyard were for the moment preserved. And these few days it was necessary to employ in planking and carefully calking the vessel, and launching her. The colonists would then take refuge on board the vessel, content to rig her after she should be afloat on the waters. With the danger of an explosion which threatened to destroy the island there could be no security on shore. The walls of Granite House, once so sure a retreat, might at any moment fall in upon them.
During the six following days, from the 25th to the 30th of January, the colonists accomplished80 as much of the construction of their vessel as twenty men could have done. They hardly allowed themselves a moment’s repose81, and the glare of the flames which shot from the crater enabled them to work night and day. The flow of lava continued, but perhaps less abundantly. This was fortunate, for Lake Grant was almost entirely82 choked up, and if more lava should accumulate it would inevitably83 spread over the plateau of Prospect Heights, and thence upon the beach.
But if the island was thus partially84 protected on this side, it was not so with the western part.
In fact, the second stream of lava, which had followed the valley of Falls River, a valley of great extent, the land on both sides of the creek being flat, met with no obstacle. The burning liquid had then spread through the forest of the Far West. At this period of the year, when the trees were dried up by a tropical heat, the forest caught fire instantaneously, in such a manner that the conflagration85 extended itself both by the trunks of the trees and by their higher branches, whose interlacement favored its progress. It even appeared that the current of flame spread more rapidly among the summits of the trees than the current of lava at their bases.
Thus it happened that the wild animals, jaguars86, wild boars, capybaras, koalas, and game of every kind, mad with terror, had fled to the banks of the Mercy and to the Tadorn Marsh87, beyond the road to Port Balloon. But the colonists were too much occupied with their task to pay any attention to even the most formidable of these animals. They had abandoned Granite House, and would not even take shelter at the Chimneys, but encamped under a tent, near the mouth of the Mercy.
Each day Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett ascended88 the plateau of Prospect Heights. Sometimes Herbert accompanied them, but never Pencroft, who could not bear to look upon the prospect of the island now so utterly89 devastated90.
It was, in truth, a heart-rending spectacle. All the wooded part of the island was now completely bare. One single clump91 of green trees raised their heads at the extremity92 of Serpentine93 Peninsula. Here and there were a few grotesque94 blackened and branchless stumps95. The side of the devastated forest was even more barren than Tadorn Marsh. The eruption of lava had been complete. Where formerly sprang up that charming verdure, the soil was now nothing but a savage96 mass of volcanic97 tufa. In the valleys of the Falls and Mercy rivers no drop of water now flowed towards the sea, and should Lake Grant be entirely dried up, the colonists would have no means of quenching98 their thirst. But, fortunately the lava had spared the southern corner of the lake, containing all that remained of the drinking water of the island. Towards the northwest stood out the rugged99 and well-defined outlines of the sides of the volcano, like a gigantic claw hovering100 over the island. What a sad and fearful sight, and how painful to the colonists, who, from a fertile domain101 covered with forests, irrigated102 by watercourses, and enriched by the produce of their toils103, found themselves, as it were, transported to a desolate104 rock, upon which, but for their reserves of provisions, they could not even gather the means of subsistence!
“It is enough to break one’s heart!” said Gideon Spilett, one day.
“Yes, Spilett,” answered the engineer. “May God grant us the time to complete this vessel, now our sole refuge!”
“Do not you think, Cyrus, that the violence of the eruption has somewhat lessened105? The volcano still vomits106 forth lava, but somewhat less abundantly, if I mistake not.”
“It matters little,” answered Cyrus Harding. “The fire is still burning in the interior of the mountain, and the sea may break in at any moment. We are in the condition of passengers whose ship is devoured by a conflagration which they cannot extinguish, and who know that sooner or later the flames must reach the powder-magazine. To work, Spilett, to work, and let us not lose an hour!”
During eight days more, that is to say until the 7th of February, the lava continued to flow, but the eruption was confined within the previous limits. Cyrus Harding feared above all lest the liquefied matter should overflow the shore, for in that event the dockyard could not escape. Moreover, about this time the colonists felt in the frame of the island vibrations107 which alarmed them to the highest degree.
It was the 20th of February. Yet another month must elapse before the vessel would be ready for sea. Would the island hold together till then? The intention of Pencroft and Cyrus Harding was to launch the vessel as soon as the hull108 should be complete. The deck, the upperworks, the interior woodwork and the rigging might be finished afterwards, but the essential point was that the colonists should have an assured refuge away from the island. Perhaps it might be even better to conduct the vessel to Port Balloon, that is to say, as far as possible from the center of eruption, for at the mouth of the Mercy, between the islet and the wall of granite, it would run the risk of being crushed in the event of any convulsion. All the exertions109 of the voyagers were therefore concentrated upon the completion of the hull.
Thus the 3rd of March arrived, and they might calculate upon launching the vessel in ten days.
Hope revived in the hearts of the colonists, who had, in this fourth year of their sojourn110 on Lincoln island, suffered so many trials. Even Pencroft lost in some measure the somber111 taciturnity occasioned by the devastation112 and ruin of his domain. His hopes, it is true, were concentrated upon his vessel.
“We shall finish it,” he said to the engineer, “we shall finish it, captain, and it is time, for the season is advancing and the equinox will soon be here. Well, if necessary, we must put in to Tabor island to spend the winter. But think of Tabor island after Lincoln Island. Ah, how unfortunate! Who could have believed it possible?”
“Let us get on,” was the engineer’s invariable reply.
And they worked away without losing a moment.
“Master,” asked Neb, a few days later, “do you think all this could have happened if Captain Nemo had been still alive?”
“Certainly, Neb,” answered Cyrus Harding.
“I, for one, don’t believe it!” whispered Pencroft to Neb.
“Nor I!” answered Neb seriously.
During the first week of March appearances again became menacing. Thousands of threads like glass, formed of fluid lava, fell like rain upon the island. The crater was again boiling with lava which overflowed113 the back of the volcano. The torrent flowed along the surface of the hardened tufa, and destroyed the few meager114 skeletons of trees which had withstood the first eruption. The stream, flowing this time towards the southwest shore of Lake Grant, stretched beyond Creek Glycerine, and invaded the plateau of Prospect Heights. This last blow to the work of the colonists was terrible. The mill, the buildings of the inner court, the stables, were all destroyed. The affrighted poultry115 fled in all directions. Top and Jup showed signs of the greatest alarm, as if their instinct warned them of an impending116 catastrophe. A large number of the animals of the island had perished in the first eruption. Those which survived found no refuge but Tadorn Marsh, save a few to which the plateau of Prospect Heights afforded asylum117. But even this last retreat was now closed to them, and the lava-torrent, flowing over the edge of the granite wall, began to pour down upon the beach its cataracts118 of fire. The sublime119 horror of this spectacle passed all description. During the night it could only be compared to a Niagara of molten fluid, with its incandescent vapors120 above and its boiling masses below.
The colonists were driven to their last entrenchment121, and although the upper seams of the vessel were not yet calked, they decided to launch her at once.
Pencroft and Ayrton therefore set about the necessary preparations for the launching, which was to take place the morning of the next day, the 9th of March.
But during the night of the 8th an enormous column of vapor escaping from the crater rose with frightful explosions to a height of more than three thousand feet. The wall of Dakkar Grotto had evidently given way under the pressure of gases, and the sea, rushing through the central shaft into the igneous122 gulf123, was at once converted into vapor. But the crater could not afford a sufficient outlet124 for this vapor. An explosion, which might have been heard at a distance of a hundred miles, shook the air. Fragments of mountains fell into the Pacific, and, in a few minutes, the ocean rolled over the spot where Lincoln island once stood.
1 granite [ˈgrænɪt] 第9级 | |
adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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2 imminent [ˈɪmɪnənt] 第8级 | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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3 doomed [dumd] 第7级 | |
命定的 | |
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4 colonists [ˈkɔlənɪsts] 第9级 | |
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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5 subversion [səb'vɜ:ʃn] 第10级 | |
n.颠覆,破坏 | |
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6 grotto [ˈgrɒtəʊ] 第11级 | |
n.洞穴 | |
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7 cavern [ˈkævən] 第9级 | |
n.洞穴,大山洞 | |
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8 shaft [ʃɑ:ft] 第7级 | |
n.(工具的)柄,杆状物 | |
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9 fissures ['fɪʃəz] 第10级 | |
n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 );裂伤;分歧;分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10 clefts [k'lefts] 第10级 | |
n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 );裂口;cleave的过去式和过去分词;进退维谷 | |
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11 penetrates [ˈpenitreits] 第7级 | |
v.穿过( penetrate的第三人称单数 );刺入;了解;渗透 | |
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12 lava [ˈlɑ:və] 第9级 | |
n.熔岩,火山岩 | |
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13 Mediterranean [ˌmedɪtəˈreɪniən] 第7级 | |
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的 | |
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14 precipitate [prɪˈsɪpɪteɪt] 第7级 | |
adj.突如其来的;vt.使突然发生;n.沉淀物 | |
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15 apprehended [ˌæpriˈhendid] 第8级 | |
逮捕,拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 ); 理解 | |
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16 situated [ˈsɪtʃueɪtɪd] 第8级 | |
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 | |
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17 incur [ɪnˈkɜ:(r)] 第7级 | |
vt.招致,蒙受,遭遇 | |
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18 boiler [ˈbɔɪlə(r)] 第7级 | |
n.锅炉;煮器(壶,锅等) | |
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19 frightful [ˈfraɪtfl] 第9级 | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
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20 peril [ˈperəl] 第9级 | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物;vt.危及;置…于险境 | |
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21 expended [iksˈpendid] 第7级 | |
v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 );使用(钱等)做某事;用光;耗尽 | |
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22 conceal [kənˈsi:l] 第7级 | |
vt.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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23 vessel [ˈvesl] 第7级 | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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24 imperative [ɪmˈperətɪv] 第7级 | |
n.命令,需要;规则;祈使语气;adj.强制的;紧急的 | |
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25 inevitable [ɪnˈevɪtəbl] 第7级 | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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26 catastrophe [kəˈtæstrəfi] 第7级 | |
n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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27 labors [ˈleibəz] 第7级 | |
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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28 feverish [ˈfi:vərɪʃ] 第9级 | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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29 ardor ['ɑ:də] 第10级 | |
n.热情,狂热 | |
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30 vapor ['veɪpə] 第7级 | |
n.蒸汽,雾气 | |
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31 mingled [ˈmiŋɡld] 第7级 | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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32 incandescent [ˌɪnkænˈdesnt] 第11级 | |
adj.遇热发光的, 白炽的,感情强烈的 | |
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33 crater [ˈkreɪtə(r)] 第8级 | |
n.火山口,弹坑 | |
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34 consequence [ˈkɒnsɪkwəns] 第8级 | |
n.结果,后果;推理,推断;重要性 | |
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35 attaining [əˈteinɪŋ] 第7级 | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的现在分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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36 stratum [ˈstrɑ:təm] 第10级 | |
n.地层,社会阶层 | |
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37 cone [kəʊn] 第8级 | |
n.圆锥体,圆锥形东西,球果 | |
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38 asunder [əˈsʌndə(r)] 第11级 | |
adv.分离的,化为碎片 | |
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39 aperture [ˈæpətʃə(r)] 第9级 | |
n.孔,隙,窄的缺口 | |
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40 torrent [ˈtɒrənt] 第7级 | |
n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发 | |
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41 cascades [kæˈskeɪdz] 第8级 | |
倾泻( cascade的名词复数 ); 小瀑布(尤指一连串瀑布中的一支); 瀑布状物; 倾泻(或涌出)的东西 | |
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42 creek [kri:k] 第8级 | |
n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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43 possessed [pəˈzest] 第12级 | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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44 rivulet [ˈrɪvjələt] 第11级 | |
n.小溪,小河 | |
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45 ascertain [ˌæsəˈteɪn] 第7级 | |
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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46 inundation [ˌinən'deiʃən, ˌinʌn'deʃən] 第9级 | |
n.the act or fact of overflowing | |
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47 prospect [ˈprɒspekt] 第7级 | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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48 forth [fɔ:θ] 第7级 | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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49 peals [pi:lz] 第12级 | |
n.(声音大而持续或重复的)洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 );隆隆声;洪亮的钟声;钟乐v.(使)(钟等)鸣响,(雷等)发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50 distinguished [dɪˈstɪŋgwɪʃt] 第8级 | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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51 vomited [] 第9级 | |
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52 hurled [hə:ld] 第8级 | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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53 intensity [ɪnˈtensəti] 第7级 | |
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度 | |
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54 eruption [ɪ'rʌpʃn] 第8级 | |
n.火山爆发;(战争等)爆发;(疾病等)发作 | |
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55 projectiles [prəd'ʒektaɪlz] 第12级 | |
n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 );(炮弹、子弹等)射弹,(火箭等)自动推进的武器 | |
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56 overflowing [əʊvə'fləʊɪŋ] 第7级 | |
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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57 overflow [ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ] 第7级 | |
vt.&vi.(使)外溢,(使)溢出;溢出,流出,漫出;n.充满,洋溢;泛滥;超值;溢值 | |
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58 inclination [ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn] 第7级 | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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59 solidified [sə'lɪdəfaɪd] 第7级 | |
(使)成为固体,(使)变硬,(使)变得坚固( solidify的过去式和过去分词 ); 使团结一致; 充实,巩固; 具体化 | |
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60 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] 第7级 | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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61 devoured [diˈvauəd] 第7级 | |
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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62 elevation [ˌelɪˈveɪʃn] 第7级 | |
n.高度;海拔;高地;上升;提高 | |
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63 shovels [ˈʃʌvlz] 第8级 | |
n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份 | |
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64 banking [ˈbæŋkɪŋ] 第8级 | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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65 swelled [sweld] 第7级 | |
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情) | |
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66 demolish [dɪˈmɒlɪʃ] 第9级 | |
vt.拆毁(建筑物等),推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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67 suspense [səˈspens] 第8级 | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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68 precipitated [prɪ'sɪpɪteɪtɪd] 第7级 | |
v.(突如其来地)使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 );促成;猛然摔下;使沉淀 | |
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69 strife [straɪf] 第7级 | |
n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争 | |
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70 depict [dɪˈpɪkt] 第7级 | |
vt.描画,描绘;描写,描述 | |
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71 hissed [hist] 第10级 | |
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 ); 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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72 replenished [rɪ'plenɪʃt] 第9级 | |
补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 ); 重新装满 | |
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73 pier [pɪə(r)] 第7级 | |
n.码头;桥墩,桥柱;[建]窗间壁,支柱 | |
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74 hissing [hɪsɪŋ] 第10级 | |
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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75 deafening [ˈdefnɪŋ] 第7级 | |
adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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76 formerly [ˈfɔ:məli] 第8级 | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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77 irresistible [ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbl] 第7级 | |
adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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78 vanquished [ˈvæŋkwɪʃt] 第9级 | |
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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79 respite [ˈrespaɪt] 第10级 | |
n.休息,中止,暂缓 | |
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80 accomplished [əˈkʌmplɪʃt] 第8级 | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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81 repose [rɪˈpəʊz] 第11级 | |
vt.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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82 entirely [ɪnˈtaɪəli] 第9级 | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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83 inevitably [ɪnˈevɪtəbli] 第7级 | |
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地 | |
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84 partially [ˈpɑ:ʃəli] 第8级 | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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85 conflagration [ˌkɒnfləˈgreɪʃn] 第11级 | |
n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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86 jaguars [ˈdʒægˌwɑ:z] 第12级 | |
n.(中、南美洲的)美洲虎( jaguar的名词复数 ) | |
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87 marsh [mɑ:ʃ] 第8级 | |
n.沼泽,湿地 | |
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88 ascended [əˈsendid] 第7级 | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89 utterly ['ʌtəli:] 第9级 | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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90 devastated [ˈdevəsteɪtɪd] 第8级 | |
v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词);摧毁;毁灭;在感情上(精神上、财务上等)压垮adj.毁坏的;极为震惊的 | |
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91 clump [klʌmp] 第10级 | |
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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92 extremity [ɪkˈstreməti] 第9级 | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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93 serpentine [ˈsɜ:pəntaɪn] 第11级 | |
adj.蜿蜒的,弯曲的 | |
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94 grotesque [grəʊˈtesk] 第8级 | |
adj.怪诞的,丑陋的;n.怪诞的图案,怪人(物) | |
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95 stumps [stʌmps] 第8级 | |
(被砍下的树的)树桩( stump的名词复数 ); 残肢; (板球三柱门的)柱; 残余部分 | |
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96 savage [ˈsævɪdʒ] 第7级 | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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97 volcanic [vɒlˈkænɪk] 第9级 | |
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的 | |
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98 quenching ['kwentʃɪŋ] 第7级 | |
淬火,熄 | |
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99 rugged [ˈrʌgɪd] 第8级 | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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100 hovering ['hɒvərɪŋ] 第7级 | |
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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101 domain [dəˈmeɪn] 第7级 | |
n.(活动等)领域,范围;领地,势力范围 | |
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102 irrigated [ˈɪrɪˌgeɪtid] 第7级 | |
[医]冲洗的 | |
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103 toils [tɔɪlz] 第8级 | |
网 | |
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104 desolate [ˈdesələt] 第7级 | |
adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;vt.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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105 lessened ['lesnd] 第7级 | |
减少的,减弱的 | |
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106 vomits [ˈvɔmits] 第9级 | |
呕吐物( vomit的名词复数 ) | |
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107 vibrations ['vaɪbreɪʃənz] 第7级 | |
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 );震动;感受;(偏离平衡位置的)一次性往复振动 | |
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108 hull [hʌl] 第9级 | |
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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109 exertions [ɪgˈzɜ:ʃənz] 第11级 | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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110 sojourn [ˈsɒdʒən] 第10级 | |
vi./n.旅居,寄居;逗留 | |
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111 somber ['sɒmbə] 第10级 | |
adj.昏暗的,阴天的,阴森的,忧郁的 | |
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112 devastation [ˌdevəˈsteɪʃn] 第8级 | |
n.毁坏;荒废;极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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113 overflowed [] 第7级 | |
溢出的 | |
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114 meager ['mi:gə] 第10级 | |
adj.缺乏的,不足的,瘦的 | |
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115 poultry [ˈpəʊltri] 第7级 | |
n.家禽,禽肉 | |
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116 impending [im'pendiŋ] 第11级 | |
a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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117 asylum [əˈsaɪləm] 第8级 | |
n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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118 cataracts ['kætərækts] 第9级 | |
n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 );白内障 | |
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119 sublime [səˈblaɪm] 第10级 | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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120 vapors [ˈveipəz] 第7级 | |
n.水汽,水蒸气,无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 );自夸者;幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁(症)v.自夸,(使)蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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121 entrenchment [ɪnˈtrentʃmənt] 第12级 | |
n.壕沟,防御设施 | |
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122 igneous [ˈɪgniəs] 第10级 | |
adj.火的,火绒的 | |
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