美国语文第五册 第101期:马萨诸塞州的监狱叛乱(1)

 　　A more impressive exhibition of moral courage, opposed to the wildest ferocity under the most appalling¹ circumstances,  几年前，马萨诸塞州监狱发生叛乱，奋起反抗这一闻所未闻的恐怖行为，

　　was never seen than that which was witnessed by the officers of our state prison; in the rebellion which occurred some years since. 当监狱警官们目睹这场惨绝人寰的暴乱，他们临危不惧而表现出崇高的正义感与罕见的勇气令人钦佩、震撼。

　　Three convicts had been sentenced, under the rules of the prison, to be whipped in the yard, and, by some effort of one of the other prisoners,  三个罪犯已被依法判决，依据监狱律令，还将在监狱院内接受鞭刑，由于其他一位囚徒的精心策划，

　　a door had been opened at midday communicating with the great dining hall and, through the warden's lodge², with the street. 中午，这一消息由通往囚犯大型餐厅的一间看守房悄悄传出，在餐厅内不胫而走，并传到监狱外面。

　　The dining hall was long, dark, and damp, from its situation near the surface of the ground; 囚犯餐厅极长，光线阴暗，空气潮湿，屋顶基本与监狱地面持平。

　　and in this all the prisoners assembled, with clubs and such other tools as they could seize in passing through the workshops. 餐厅为全体囚犯的集合之处，里面放有棍棒之类工具，方便囚犯们随手抓起，进入各自工作车间。

　　Knives, hammers, and chisels³, with every variety of such weapons, were in the hands of the ferocious⁴ spirits, 现在，各种刀锤凿钻，所以可以用作武器的家什，都掌控在这些凶残的暴徒手中。

　　who are drawn⁵ away from their encroachments on society, forming a congregation of strength, vileness⁶, 这些罪犯因非法侵犯他人权利而与世隔绝；与此同时也形成暴力、

　　and talent that can hardly be equaled on earth, even among the famed brigands⁷ of Italy. 邪恶及惊人才华的荟萃麇集，世界上几乎不存在可以与之抗衡的势力，甚而包括意大利最为凶残的黑帮。

　　Men of all ages and characters, guilty of every variety of infamous⁸ crime, dressed in the motley and peculiar⁹ garb¹⁰ of the institution, 任何男囚，无论年龄身份，凡涉犯各类重罪，按规定一律穿戴统一杂色的狱服，

　　and displaying the wild and demoniac appearance that always pertains¹¹ to imprisoned¹² wretches¹³, 以表现重罪囚犯野蛮与魔性的外貌特征及内心凶残。

　　were gathered together for the single purpose of preventing the punishment which was to be inflicted¹⁴ on the morrow upon their comrades. 这些重罪囚犯被关押在一起的唯一理由，旨在避免次日早晨，有可能对同监狱其他人犯造成人身伤害。

1 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

2 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

3 chisels   

n.凿子，錾子( chisel的名词复数 )；口凿

参考例句：

• Chisels, brushes, paints-all are the products of technology. 凿子、刷子、颜料―这些都是工艺技术的产物。 来自辞典例句
• He selected the right chisels from a pile laid out beside him. 他从摊在身边的一堆凿子中挑出适用的几把。 来自互联网

4 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 vileness   

n.讨厌，卑劣

参考例句：

• Separating out the vileness is impossible. 分离其中不良的部分是不可能的。 来自互联网
• The vileness of his language surprised us. 他言语的粗俗令我们吃惊。 来自互联网

7 brigands   

n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They say there are brigands hiding along the way. 他们说沿路隐藏着土匪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The brigands demanded tribute from passing vehicles. 土匪向过往车辆勒索钱财。 来自辞典例句

8 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

9 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

10 garb   

n.服装，装束

参考例句：

• He wore the garb of a general.他身着将军的制服。
• Certain political,social,and legal forms reappear in seemingly different garb.一些政治、社会和法律的形式在表面不同的外衣下重复出现。

11 pertains   

关于( pertain的第三人称单数 )； 有关； 存在； 适用

参考例句：

• When one manages upward, none of these clear and unambiguous symbols pertains. 当一个人由下而上地管理时，这些明确无误的信号就全都不复存在了。
• Her conduct hardly pertains to a lady. 她的行为与女士身份不太相符。

12 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

13 wretches   

n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋

参考例句：

• The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来，最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句

14 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。