NCE4 L9 Royal Espionage

Lesson 9 Royal espionage 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 penetrated the Danish camp of Guthrum?

​ Alfred the Great acted as(担任担当 serve as/work as) his own spy(亲自担任间谍), visiting(修饰act,伴随状语,此处意思为潜入) Danish camps(军营) disguised(方式状语,状的是visiting) as a minstrel.

过去式

to visit one’s parents/a country

to visit a bookstore

The city was visited(raid/attack) by floods twice last year. 表贬义

disguise vt.

1.to disguise one’s feelings 掩饰自己的情感

2.to disguise oneself as 将自己装扮做 (常用被动) be disguised as …

He disguised himself as a beggar. He was disguised as …

He ran away, disguised as a beggar.

He tried to explain the situation, saying ‘it’s only me’. 强调 tried

Trying to explain the situation(原因状语), he said ‘it’s only me’. 强调 said

Acting as his own spy, Alfred the Great visited the Danish camps disguised as …

In those days wandering minstrels(浪迹天涯的吟游歌手) were welcome everywhere.

These days, …

In those days, …

They were not fighting men(作战人员), and their harp was their passport. 他们的竖琴是他们的通行证

fighting men

non-combatants 非作战人员

Alfred had learned(过去完成时) many of their ballads in his youth(在他年轻时代), and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks(杂技) and simple conjuring(简单魔术).

in one’s teens/youth/declining years/old age/adolescence/early years

to vary one’s diet

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第一段交代时代背景

​ While Alfred’s little army(小部队) slowly began to gather(集结assemble) at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander(司令官) of the Danish invaders(丹麦入侵者).

set out for sp. 出发去某地

penetrate vt. 刺透，扎破

to penetrate one’s ears

peaceful penetration 和平演变

creep into 蹑手蹑脚进入

sneak into 潜入

These had settled down(扎营) for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went.

settle down 表示定居/扎营

here <- hitherto (to here) -> until now

there <- thither

hither and thither

here and there

thee(宾格) thou(主格) thy(所有格 your)

Who art(are) thou(you)? 汝何人也？

本来应该写为：These had settled down(扎营) at Chippenham for the winter

但是因为后面有 thither Alfred went 对 Chippenham 做修饰，所以产生了分裂

He noticed(注意到) at once that discipline was slack(纪律涣散): the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors(以征服者自居), and their security precautions were casual(和slack是近义词).

They lived well, on the proceeds of raids(抢劫所得) on neighbouring regions.

raid 袭击

attack on

靠袭击周围的地区来得到收入

There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease(舒适的生活) had made them soft(毫无战斗力).

as well as 强调的是前面的

他们不仅抢吃的喝的，还抢女人

Nursing is a vocation as well as profession.

collect stamps.

to stand at ease 稍息

to live at ease 生活舒适

the soft generation 柔软的一代

the lost generation

penetration

Alfred stayed(这里也可以用过去完成时，强调完成，此处不用，表示客观陈述) in the camp a week before(才) he returned to Athelney.

It struck 12 before it stopped. 钟表敲了12下才停

How many roads must a man walk down before they can call him a man?

12 years had passed by bofore they met again.

The force there assembled was trivial(微不足道insignificant/unimportant) compared with the Danish horde(丹麦大军，丹麦侵略军，丹麦的乌合之众).

assemble vt.1.集合，集中 assemble the soldiers 2. 装配，组合 to assemble a watch n.会议，集合

assembly

the air/land force 空军，陆军

navy 海军

the Forces

horde 是一个贬义词，通常指熙熙攘攘的一群

a horde of locus/reporters 一群蝗虫/记者

hordes of reporters

compared with me, you still have a long way to go.

If you are compared with me, you …

But Alfred had deduced that the Danes(丹麦人) were no longer fit for prolonged battle(长期作战): and that their commissariat(军粮供应) had no organization, but depended on irregular raids(非常规的袭击+on, attack).

to deduce sth. from general principles 从一般的原理钟推出…

be fit/suitable for 适合做…

no = not any

were not fit any longer

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这一段写 findings （重大发现，有意义的发现）

​ So, faced with the Danish advance(做时间状语), Alfred did not risk open battle(冒险公开作战) but harried(骚扰) the enemy.

be confronted with / be faced with

When he was faced with …

When he was facing …

be opposed to sth.

The troops have advanced two miles.

He was constantly on the move, drawing(现在分词做伴随状语) the Danes after him.

in + n. in poverty / in debt / in despair

at + n. a puma at large (自由自在的,一只逃逸的美洲狮) / in a corner (处于困境) / at leisure 有空闲时间

under + n. => 正在被 under discussion / investigation / repair /

on + the + n. => 正在做 on the move / on the boil / on the turn / on the rise / on the decline/wane(盈)/wax(亏)

… and drew …

drawer 抽屉

His patrols(巡楼队) halted the raiding parties(hordes): hunger assailed(困扰pester/threaten) the Danish army(==the Danes).

bring sth. to a stop/halt

come to a stop/halt

come to sb.'s notice

bring sth. to sb.'s notice

His patrols brought the raiding parties to a halt.

party animals 聚会动物

party 一帮，一群 a hunting party

a party of soldiers 一群士兵

parties of soldiers 成帮成群的士兵

Now(前面一系列事件之后的现在) Alfred began a long series of(一系列连续不断的) skirmishes(小规模战斗) --(破折号表示强调，吸引人的眼球) and within a month(在一个月之内) the Danes had surrendered.

a border skirmish 边界冲突

street skirmish 巷战

The episode(这段轶事) could reasonably serve as(作为) a unique epic(一个独一无二的史诗) of royal espionage(皇室的间谍活动)!

unique 独一无二的

王室谍报史上独一无二的史诗

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反攻 counter attack

BERNARD NEWMAN Spies in Britain

Alfred,disguised as a harpist, in the camp of the Danes

New words and expressions 生词和短语

espionage(title) n.间谍活动

industrial espionage

espionage equipment 侦察设备

Alfred(849-899) 公元871-899年间任英国国王

Alfred the Great 阿尔弗雷德大帝 king queen emperor

Danish adj. 丹麦的，丹麦人的，丹麦语的

Denmark n. 丹麦

Dane n. 丹麦语

Danish n. 丹麦语 adj. 丹麦的（人）

the Danish pirates

minstrel n.中世纪的吟游歌手

a wandering minstrel 浪迹天涯的吟游歌手

wandering adj.漫游的
harp n.竖琴

ballad n.民歌

ballad n. 民谣

epic -> Beowulf

legend -> Arthur

ballad -> Robin hood

acrobatic adj. 杂技的

acrobatic feats 杂技

acrobatic performances / performers

conjuring n.魔术

to conjure a rabbit out of the box

conjurer n. = magician

conjuring = magic

Athelney n.阿塞尔纳（英国一个小岛）
Chippenham n.切本哈姆（英国一城市）
thither adv.向那里
Dane n.丹麦人
slack adj.涣散的

slack trousers / jeans

a slack rope / muscles / skin

slack supervision 监考不严

slcak discipline 松散的纪律

feel slack 感到有气无力

a slack market / season / farming season

conqueror n.征服者

conquer vt. 征服

the Norman conquest 1066 年 诺曼征服

Willian the first/Conqueror

casual adj.马虎的，随便的

case n. 情况

casual adj. 偶然的

a casual meeting 偶遇/邂逅

不经意的，随意的，马虎的：a casual person 一个马大哈 casual wear 便服/休闲装

precaution n.预防，警惕

caution 谨慎 take cautions against

precautionary adj, precautionary measures 预防措施

proceeds n.所得

receipts n. 收入

gains n. 收入

income n. 收入

earnings n. 收入

assemble v.集合

1.(sth) 集中，安装，组装

2.(sb.) 集合，聚集

to assemble a machine

to assemble the pupils

assembly

the freedom of assembly 集会的自由

the General Assembly 联合国大会

trivial adj.微不足道的

adj.琐碎的，小的

a trivial loss 小损失

trivial matters 小事，琐事

a trivial offence 违章行为/违法行为 一个小过失

= unimportant / insignificant / trivial / negligible / neglect

prolonged adj.持久的

prolong vt. 延长

protract vt.

to prolong/protract one’s stay

a prolonged visit / battle 一个长时间的访问/战斗

commissariat n.军粮供应

episode n.一个事件，片断

a TV series of 30 episodes

a significant episode in modern Chinese history 一个中国现代史的重要事件

epic n.史诗

harry v.骚扰

harass 骚扰

The pirates Vikings used to harry the coastal cities.

sexual harassment

assail v.袭击

to assail sb. with a shower of(突然一阵的) stones 用石头袭击某人

to assail sb. with questions 质问某人

to be assailed/pestered by mosquitoes 被蚊子困扰

skirmish n.小规模战斗

a border skirmish

a street skirmish 巷战

dispute纷争 / quarrel争吵 / skirmish小战斗 / combat战斗打斗 / battle一场战斗

Notes on the text 课文注释

1 settle down,驻扎
2 They lived well,on the proceeds of raids,他们的生活舒适，靠袭击（周围地区）掠夺得到的财物为生。live on ,靠为生。
3 be fit for,适宜于…。

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。