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新概念英语第四册Lesson 9 Royal espionage

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（单词翻译）

Lesson 9
Royal espionage1
王室谍报活动

First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。

What important thing did King Alfred learn when he penetrated3 the Danish camp of Guthrum?

Alfred the Great acted his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp4 was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads6 in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring7.
While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate2 the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders8. There had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither9 Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors11, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.
Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde12. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.
So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried13 the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed15 the Danish army. Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes -- and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic16 of royal espionage!
BERNARD NEWMAN Spies in Britain


New words and expressions 生词和短语

espionage
n. 间谍活动
Alfred
公元871-899 年间任英国国王
Danish
adj. 丹麦的，丹麦人的，丹麦语的
minstrel
n. 中世纪的吟游歌手
wandering
adj. 漫游的
harp
n. 坚琴
ballad5
n. 民歌
acrobatic
adj. 杂技的
conjuring
n. 魔术
Athelney
n. 阿塞尔纳（英国一个小岛）
Chippenham
n. 切本哈姆（英国一个城市）
thither
adv. 向那里
Dane
n. 丹麦人
slack
adj. 涣散的
conqueror10
n. 征服者
casual
adj. 马虎的，随便的
precaution
n. 预防，警惕
proceeds
n. 所得
assemble
v. 集合
trivial
adj. 微不足道的
prolonged
adj. 持久的
commissariat
n. 军粮供应
episode
n. 一个事件，片断
epic
n. 史诗
harry17
v. 骚扰
assail14
v. 袭击
skirmish
n. 小规模战斗

参考译文
阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦军队的营地里侦察。当时，浪迹天涯的吟游歌手到处受欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。阿尔弗德年轻时学过许多民歌，并能穿插演一些杂技和小魔术使自己的节目多样化。
阿尔弗雷德人数不多的军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦入侵司令官古瑟罗姆的营地。丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营准备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。他马上发现丹麦军纪律松弛，他们以征服者自居，安全措施马马虎虎。他们靠掠夺附近的地区的财物过着舒适的生活。他们不仅搜刮吃的喝的，而且抢掠妇女，安逸的生活已使丹麦军队变得软弱无力。
阿尔弗雷德在敌营呆了一个星期后，回到了阿塞尔纳。他集结在那里的军队和丹麦大军相比是微不足道的，然而，阿尔弗雷德断定，丹麦人已不再适应持久的战争，他们的军需供应处于无组织状态，只是靠临时抢夺来维持。
因此，面对丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有贸然同敌人作战，而是采用骚扰敌人的战术。他的部队不停地移动，牵着敌人的鼻子，让他们跟着跑。他派出巡逻队阻止敌人抢劫，因而饥饿威胁着丹麦军队。这时，阿尔弗雷德发起一连串小规模的进攻，结果不出一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这一幕历史可以说是王室谍报活动中最精彩的篇章。.
 

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1 espionage uiqzd     
n.间谍行为，谍报活动
参考例句：
  • The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
  • Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。
2 penetrate juSyv     
v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解
参考例句：
  • Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
  • The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。
3 penetrated 61c8e5905df30b8828694a7dc4c3a3e0     
adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
  • The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
  • They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。
4 harp UlEyQ     
n.竖琴；天琴座
参考例句：
  • She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
  • He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。
5 ballad zWozz     
n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲
参考例句：
  • This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
  • This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。
6 ballads 95577d817acb2df7c85c48b13aa69676     
民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴
参考例句：
  • She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
  • She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。
7 conjuring IYdyC     
n.魔术
参考例句：
  • Paul's very good at conjuring. 保罗很会变戏法。
  • The entertainer didn't fool us with his conjuring. 那个艺人变的戏法没有骗到我们。
8 invaders 5f4b502b53eb551c767b8cce3965af9f     
入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
  • The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。
9 thither cgRz1o     
adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的
参考例句：
  • He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
  • He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。
10 conqueror PY3yI     
n.征服者，胜利者
参考例句：
  • We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。
  • They abandoned the city to the conqueror.他们把那个城市丢弃给征服者。
11 conquerors f5b4f288f8c1dac0231395ee7d455bd1     
征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The Danes had selfconfidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. 这些丹麦人具有征服者的自信，而且他们的安全防卫也是漫不经心的。
  • The conquerors believed in crushing the defeated people into submission, knowing that they could not win their loyalty by the victory. 征服者们知道他们的胜利并不能赢得失败者的忠心，于是就认为只有通过武力才能将他们压服。
12 horde 9dLzL     
n.群众，一大群
参考例句：
  • A horde of children ran over the office building.一大群孩子在办公大楼里到处奔跑。
  • Two women were quarrelling on the street,surrounded by horde of people.有两个妇人在街上争吵，被一大群人围住了。
13 harried 452fc64bfb6cafc37a839622dacd1b8e     
v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰
参考例句：
  • She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。
  • The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 assail ZoTyB     
v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥
参考例句：
  • The opposition's newspapers assail the government each day.反对党的报纸每天都对政府进行猛烈抨击。
  • We should assist parents not assail them.因此我们应该帮助父母们，而不是指责他们。
15 assailed cca18e858868e1e5479e8746bfb818d6     
v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对
参考例句：
  • He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。
  • He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》
16 epic ui5zz     
n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的
参考例句：
  • I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
  • They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。
17 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼
参考例句：
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

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