Chapter 1 of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible. It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume. The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed. Every one listened to the strange sound from above. It grew and became clear and distinct.
Chapter 1 of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading “From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.”
plural of “conversation” — the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading “The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.”
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading “It grew and became clear and distinct.”
a humming noise
From this reading “From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.”
in a softened tone
From this reading “The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.”
having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune
From this reading “It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.”
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading “From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.”
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a higher deck
In this reading “The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.”
In this reading “From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.”
In this reading “It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.”
In this reading “Every one listened to the strange sound from above.”
In this reading “It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Every one listened to the strange sound from above.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It grew and became clear and distinct.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
rid of obstructions
From this reading It grew and became clear and distinct.
plural of “conversation” — the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading It grew and became clear and distinct.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every one listened to the strange sound from above.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading It grew and became clear and distinct.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
a humming noise
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
in a softened tone
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Every one listened to the strange sound from above.
having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
a brief written record
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Every one listened to the strange sound from above.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
with speed
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading From some point far overhead a musical humming became audible.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Every one listened to the strange sound from above.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Every one listened to the strange sound from above.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
the topmost one of two
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not the rasping roar of an aëroplane motor, but a deep, truly melodious note that seemed to grow rapidly in volume.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The soft-voiced conversations on the upper deck were hushed.
Chapter 1 of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero by Murray Leinster holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 97 sentences of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Thousand Degrees Below Zero by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1655 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50585 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50585, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 137 minutes of reading across 331 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Thousand Degrees Below Zero section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of A Thousand Degrees Below Zero to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Thousand Degrees Below Zero, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
