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The atom curtain
The atom curtain

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The atom curtain is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.
The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.
But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.
He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.
The labyrinth's pattern was precise.
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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.

The atom curtain

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The atom curtain is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.
Line 2
The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.
/ðə streɪndʒ ˈlæbərɪnθ wɑːz mʌtʃ tuː hɑːt fɔːr ˌɪnˈspekʃən/
Line 3
But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.
/bʌt ðə ˌreɡjəˈlerəti ʌv ɪts fɔːrm siːmd pruːf ðæt ɪt wɑːz ˈmænmeɪd ənd ðæt ˌdɪˈsaɪdɪd oʊˈherə/
Line 4
He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.
Line 5
The labyrinth's pattern was precise.

Learner Dictionary

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.

altimeter noun US /ælˈtɪmətər/

an instrument that measures the height above ground; used in navigation

From this reading “He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.”

altitude noun US /ˈæltətuːd/

elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface

From this reading “As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.”

labyrinth noun US /ˈlæbərɪnθ/

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

From this reading “The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.”

man-made adjective US /ˈmænmeɪd/

not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially

From this reading “But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.”

O'Hara noun US /oʊˈherə/

United States writer (1905-1970)

From this reading “But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.”

precise adjective US /prɪˈsaɪs/

sharply exact or accurate or delimited

From this reading “The labyrinth's pattern was precise.”

registered adjective US /ˈredʒɪstərd/

(of animals) officially recorded with or certified by a recognized breed association; especially in a stud book

From this reading “He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.”

regularity noun US /ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/

a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles

From this reading “But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

five thousand noun + noun

In this reading “As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.”

thousand feet noun + noun counted as “thousand foot”

In this reading “As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.”

too hot adverb + adjective

In this reading “The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

24,000

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

290

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

30,000

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

300

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

325

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

5,000

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

From this reading He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.

altimeternounUS /ælˈtɪmətər/

an instrument that measures the height above ground; used in navigation

From this reading He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.

altitudenounUS /ˈæltətuːd/

elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

climbverbUS /klaɪm/

go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

continuedadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.

countverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

decidedadjectiveUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪdɪd/

recognizable; marked

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/

An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

inspectionnounUS /ˌɪnˈspekʃən/

a formal or official examination

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

jumpingnounUS /ˈdʒʌmpɪŋ/

the act of participating in an athletic competition in which you must jump

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

labyrinthnounUS /ˈlæbərɪnθ/

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

labyrinth's

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

From this reading The labyrinth's pattern was precise.

man-madeadjectiveUS /ˈmænmeɪd/

not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

milliroentgen

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

O'HaranounUS /oʊˈherə/

United States writer (1905-1970)

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

patternnounUS /ˈpætərn/

a perceptual structure

From this reading The labyrinth's pattern was precise.

preciseadjectiveUS /prɪˈsaɪs/

sharply exact or accurate or delimited

From this reading The labyrinth's pattern was precise.

proofnounUS /pruːf/

any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

rapidlyadverbUS /ˈræpədli/

with speed

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

reachingnounUS /ˈriːtʃɪŋ/

the act of physically reaching or thrusting out

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

registeredadjectiveUS /ˈredʒɪstərd/

(of animals) officially recorded with or certified by a recognized breed association; especially in a stud book

From this reading He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.

regularitynounUS /ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/

a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

sharplyadverbUS /ˈʃɑːrpli/

in an aggressive manner

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But the regularity of its form seemed proof that it was man-made, and that decided O'Hara.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading The strange labyrinth was much too hot for inspection.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading He continued down until his altimeter registered 5,000 feet.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading As rapidly, his milliroentgen count began to climb, reaching .290 within the first five thousand feet of descent, then to .300 when his altitude was down to 30,000 and jumping very sharply at 24,000 feet to .325.

Chapter 3 of The atom curtain by Nick B. (Nick Boddie) Williams holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 3 of The atom curtain contain?

Chapter 3 holds 409 sentences of The atom curtain, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The atom curtain by Nick B. (Nick Boddie) Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of The atom curtain?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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.

Questions about reading The atom curtain

Common questions about reading The atom curtain by Nick B. (Nick Boddie) Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The atom curtain?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The atom curtain is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The atom curtain take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The atom curtain section by section

How to work through The atom curtain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The atom curtain

Words and structures a reader meets early in The atom curtain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The atom curtain, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The atom curtain, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The atom curtain, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.