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Operation: Outer Space
Operation: Outer Space

Chapter IV

Cover illustration for Operation: Outer Space
Context Illustration Reading 1/88 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.
The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.
The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.
But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.
The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Operation: Outer Space

Chapter IV

Reading 1/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.
Line 2
The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.
Line 3
The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.
Line 4
But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.
Line 5
The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.”

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.”

Apple noun US /apple/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.”

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.”

All words in this reading · 62

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

applenounUS /apple/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

blinding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

brightness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

cliffs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

crater

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

crater's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

degrees

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

demonstration

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

Earth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

edge

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

feet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

floor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

furnace-like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

glaring

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

green

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

high

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

hung

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

infinitely

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

innumerable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

jagged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

less

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

made

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

many-colored

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

mid-sky

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

miles

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

monstrous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

parts

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

pitch-dark

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

plain

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

sea

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

shadowed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

site

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

size

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

small

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

some

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

stars

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But above the edge of the cliffs the stars began; infinitely small and many-colored, with innumerable degrees of brightness.

sunlit

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

sunshine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The furnace-like sunshine made the plain beyond the shadow into a sea of blinding brightness.

swollen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Earth hung in mid-sky like a swollen green apple, monstrous in size.

ten

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

terribly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

thousand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

twenty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

walls

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The sunlit parts of the crater's walls were no less terribly glaring.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The site of the demonstration was the shadowed, pitch-dark part of the floor of a crater twenty miles across, with walls some ten thousand jagged feet high.