【www.tingchehu.com--高中周记】
【课文】Firstlistenandthenanswerthefollowingquestion.听录音，然后回答以下问题。Inwhatwaydoesecho-locationinbatsplayan...下面是小编收集整理的新概念第四册课文翻译及学习笔记Lesson汇总六篇，仅供参考，大家一起来看看吧。
【课文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
In what way does echo-location in bats play an utilitarian role?
Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.
To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity ofa wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back. The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding apparatus, now in general use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound, varying according to the size and nature of the object. A shoal of fish will do this. So it is a comparatively simple step from locating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improved apparatus, it is now possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring, cod, or other well-known fish, by the pattern of its echo.
It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes, they can locate and steer clear of obstacles -- or locate flying insects on which they feed. This echo-location in bats is often compared with radar, the principle of which is similar.
MAURICE BURTON Curiosities of animal life
【New words and expressions 生词和短语】
bat n. 蝙蝠
strictly adv. 明确地
utilitarian adj. 实用的
appreciation n. 理解
obstruction n. 障碍物
elapse v. 消逝
hull n. 船体
interval n. 间隔
receipt n. 收到
apparatus n. 仪器
shoal n. 鱼群
herring n. 鲱鱼
cod n. 鳕鱼
squeak n. 尖叫声
【课文注释】
1.Not all sounds made by animals serve as language，动物发出的声音不全是作语言交际。此句采用了部分否定，即不是否定所有的动物，而只是一部分。
serve as，作……之用。
例句：May this punishment serve as a warning to you.
你要以此为鉴戒。
serve the purpose，起作用、 能解决问题。
例句1：It"s not exactly what I wanted but it will serve my purpose.
这个跟我想要的不太一样，但也算可以。
例句2：Theories serve a dual purpose.
理论有双重效果。
2.play a role/part in，在……方面起作用。
例句：Parents play significant roles in educating a child.
父母在教育孩子方面有着举足轻重的作用。
take part/role in，参加，参与。
例句：We all had to take part in the training run, with nobody excepted.
我们大家都得参加跑步训练，无人例外。
3.in the vicinity of，在……附近。
这是比较正式、书面的表达法，和near是同一个意思。
例句：All the ships in the vicinity of the crash joined in the search for survivors.
撞船事故发生地区的所有船只都参加了搜寻幸存者的工作。
另外，vicinity也可以表达大约、大概。
例句：This city has a population in the vicinity of 100000.
这座城市有10万左右的人口。
4.So was born the echo-sounding apparatus，这样就诞生了回声探测仪。这是一个倒装句，主要是为了避免因主语过长而使全句失去平衡，同时也为了使apparatus的定语now in general use in ships紧挨着名词。
in general use，普遍使用。
generally speaking，通常说来。
in general terms，总的说来。
5.vary，变化。
vary with sth，随……变化而变化。
例句：Prices vary with the seasons.
物价随季节而变动。
名词：variety，种类。
形容词①：variable，可变的，多变的。
形容词②：various，各种各样的。
6.steer clear of，避开
If you steer clear of someone or something, you deliberately avoid them.
例句：Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.
从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。
【参考译文】
动物发出的声音不都是用作语言交际。我们只要看一看蝙蝠回声定位这一极不寻常的发现，就可以探究一下声音在什么情况下有绝对的实用价值。
要透彻理解这句话的意义，我们应先回顾一下人类最近的几项发明。大家都知道，在墙壁或山腰附近发出的喊声，就会听到回声。固体障碍物越远。回声返回所用时间就越长。敲打船体所发了的声音会从海底传回来，测出回声间隔的时间，便可算出该处海洋的深度。这样就产生了目前各种船舶上普遍应用的回声探测仪。任何固体者反射声音，反射的声音因物体的大小和性质的不同而不同。鱼群也反射声音。从测定海深到测定鱼群，这一进展比较容易。根据经验和改进了的仪器，不仅能够确定鱼群的位置，而且可以根据鱼群回声的特点分辨出是鲱鱼、鳕鱼，这是人们所熟悉的其他鱼。
人们发现，某些蝙蝠能发出尖叫声，并能通过回声来确定并躲开障碍物，或找到它们赖以为生的昆虫。蝙蝠这种回声定位常常可与雷达相比较，其原理是相似的。
【课文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What makes trading between rich countries difficult?
Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union"s safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU"s okay before is hits the market in Europe.
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28th. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and then hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU -- following fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries.
From: The Economist, May 24th, 1997
【New words and expressions 生词和短语】
slaughter v. 屠宰
fit adj. 适合
grace v. 给...增光
tariff n. 关税
standard n. 标准
dialysis n. 分离，分解;透析，渗析
electrocute v. 使触电身亡
eliminate v. 消灭
accord n. 协议
device n. 仪器，器械
hammer out v. 推敲
pact n. 合同，条约，公约
【课文注释】
1.Chickens slaughtered in...to grace European tables.在这句话中引用了布鲁塞尔官员的评论，却没有放在引号之中。这种方式常用语报刊文章，对读者的直接影响更大。在claim officials in Brussels中，动词claim置于名词前。
2.slaughter，屠杀，杀戮。
例句：Thousands were slaughtered by the invading army.
数以千计的人被侵略军杀害了。
在运动比赛中，可以用slaughter表示惨败。
例句：The total slaughter of the home team disappointed all fans.
主队的惨败让所有球迷失望不已。
3.it is differences in national regulations...between rich countries，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。
这是一个it引导的强调句。强调句句型：It is...that...(强调人或事物)/ It is...who...(强调人)。在通常情况下，去掉这个句型，句子依然是成立的——这是判断一个句子是否为强调结构的重要标志。
例句：It was my mother who finally called the police.
最终报警的是我母亲。
去掉强调结构：My mother finally called the police.意思没有变，只是语气减弱了。
特别注意：强调句中that/who不可省。
4.put/throw sand in the wheels of，阻碍，阻挠。
例句：The terrorist attack put sand in the wheels of the ongoing peace talk.
恐怖袭击阻挠了正在进行的和平谈判的进程。
5.So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? 这是另一个没有引号的直接引语的例子。注意why have two...do中的语序，这是非常口语化的直接引语的语序。
6.hard-pressed
If you will be hard-pressed to do something, you will have great difficulty doing it.做某事很困难。
例句：This year the airline will be hard-pressed to make a profit.
今年，航空公司想要盈利很困难。
7.apply to，适用于、应用于。
例句：The laws apply to everyone irrespective of race, creed or colour.
法律适用于所有的人，不分种族、 信仰或肤色。
apply for，申请。
例句：Don"t apply for that job: you"re in danger of overreaching yourself.
不要申请那份工作，以免有不自量力之嫌。
8.extend to，拓展至、延伸至，可表示空间、时间、范围、领域上的延伸。
例句：It might be possible to extend the technique to other crop plants.
或许有可能将该技术拓展应用到其它作物的种植上。
【参考译文】
布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们的家禽很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动剃须刀必须得到美国检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售;而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲市场。
碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都在问，当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢?政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美国和欧洲一直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为5月28日举行的美国和欧洲贸易的通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此复杂，他们所面临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。
为什么呢?困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的大陆传统，则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸到其它国家。
【课文】
Alfred the Great acted as 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 harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.
While Alfred"s little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, 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 horde. 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 harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed 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 epic 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
ballad 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
conqueror 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
harry v. 骚扰
assail v. 袭击
skirmish n. 小规模战斗
episode n. 一个事件，片断
epic n. 史诗
【课文注释】
1. penetrate，渗透，潜入，领悟。
①渗透，渗入某物
例句：The heavy rain had penetrated right through her coat.
大雨湿透了她的大衣。
②(人员)渗入对方
例句：The party has been penetrated by extremists.
有些极端分子已打入该党。
③ 被充分理解或领悟
例句：I explained the problem to him several times but it didn"t seem to penetrate.
那问题我向他解释多次，他似无所悟。
2. act as，担任，充当。
If someone or something acts as a particular thing, they have that role or function.
例句：I must find someone to act as a deputy for me during my absence.
我必须找一个人，在我离开期间代理我的职务。
3. disguised as，伪装成。
a man disguised as...表示伪装成……的人;
a...in disguise表示本质是……但伪装成其它的人。
例句：The raiders disguised themselves as security guards.
袭击者都装扮成了保安人员。
例句：The supposed beggar was really a police officer in disguise.
那个众人眼中的乞丐，其实是化了装的警察。
4. settle down，安定，驻扎。
When someone settles down, they start living a quiet life in one place, especially when they get married or buy a house.
例句：At 30 we need to settle down to our lives and shed from fantasies.
30岁时，我们需要安定下来，丢掉幻想。
5. 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=live off，靠……为生。
例句：If you live on a mountain, you live off the mountain; if you live by the water, you live off the water.
靠山吃山，靠水吃水。
6. proceeds n. 收入;
proceed v. 进行下去;
proceedings n. 诉讼，进程。
例句：Proceeds from the concert will go to charity.
音乐会的收入将捐赠给慈善事业。
例句：Shall we proceed with the planned investment?
我们着手进行有计划的投资好吗?
例句：The workers decided to take judicial proceedings against the company.
工人们决定对公司正式提起诉讼。
7. be fit for，适宜于……。
例句：He"s been ill and isn"t fit for work yet.
他一直在生病，尚不能工作。
【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。
【课文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What makes trading between rich countries difficult?
Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union"s safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU"s okay before is hits the market in Europe.
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28th. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and then hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU -- following fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries.
From: The Economist, May 24th, 1997
【New words and expressions 生词和短语】
slaughter v. 屠宰
fit adj. 适合
grace v. 给...增光
tariff n. 关税
standard n. 标准
dialysis n. 分离，分解;透析，渗析
electrocute v. 使触电身亡
eliminate v. 消灭
accord n. 协议
device n. 仪器，器械
hammer out v. 推敲
pact n. 合同，条约，公约
【课文注释】
1.Chickens slaughtered in...to grace European tables.在这句话中引用了布鲁塞尔官员的评论，却没有放在引号之中。这种方式常用语报刊文章，对读者的直接影响更大。在claim officials in Brussels中，动词claim置于名词前。
2.slaughter，屠杀，杀戮。
例句：Thousands were slaughtered by the invading army.
数以千计的人被侵略军杀害了。
在运动比赛中，可以用slaughter表示惨败。
例句：The total slaughter of the home team disappointed all fans.
主队的惨败让所有球迷失望不已。
3.it is differences in national regulations...between rich countries，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。
这是一个it引导的强调句。强调句句型：It is...that...(强调人或事物)/ It is...who...(强调人)。在通常情况下，去掉这个句型，句子依然是成立的——这是判断一个句子是否为强调结构的重要标志。
例句：It was my mother who finally called the police.
最终报警的是我母亲。
去掉强调结构：My mother finally called the police.意思没有变，只是语气减弱了。
特别注意：强调句中that/who不可省。
4.put/throw sand in the wheels of，阻碍，阻挠。
例句：The terrorist attack put sand in the wheels of the ongoing peace talk.
恐怖袭击阻挠了正在进行的和平谈判的进程。
5.So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? 这是另一个没有引号的直接引语的例子。注意why have two...do中的语序，这是非常口语化的直接引语的语序。
6.hard-pressed
If you will be hard-pressed to do something, you will have great difficulty doing it.做某事很困难。
例句：This year the airline will be hard-pressed to make a profit.
今年，航空公司想要盈利很困难。
7.apply to，适用于、应用于。
例句：The laws apply to everyone irrespective of race, creed or colour.
法律适用于所有的人，不分种族、 信仰或肤色。
apply for，申请。
例句：Don"t apply for that job: you"re in danger of overreaching yourself.
不要申请那份工作，以免有不自量力之嫌。
8.extend to，拓展至、延伸至，可表示空间、时间、范围、领域上的延伸。
例句：It might be possible to extend the technique to other crop plants.
或许有可能将该技术拓展应用到其它作物的种植上。
【参考译文】
布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们的家禽很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动剃须刀必须得到美国检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售;而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲市场。
碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都在问，当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢?政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美国和欧洲一直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为5月28日举行的美国和欧洲贸易的通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此复杂，他们所面临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。
为什么呢?困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的大陆传统，则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸到其它国家。
【课文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
In what way does echo-location in bats play an utilitarian role?
Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.
To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity ofa wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back. The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding apparatus, now in general use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound, varying according to the size and nature of the object. A shoal of fish will do this. So it is a comparatively simple step from locating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improved apparatus, it is now possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring, cod, or other well-known fish, by the pattern of its echo.
It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes, they can locate and steer clear of obstacles -- or locate flying insects on which they feed. This echo-location in bats is often compared with radar, the principle of which is similar.
MAURICE BURTON Curiosities of animal life
【New words and expressions 生词和短语】
bat n. 蝙蝠
strictly adv. 明确地
utilitarian adj. 实用的
appreciation n. 理解
obstruction n. 障碍物
elapse v. 消逝
hull n. 船体
interval n. 间隔
receipt n. 收到
apparatus n. 仪器
shoal n. 鱼群
herring n. 鲱鱼
cod n. 鳕鱼
squeak n. 尖叫声
【课文注释】
1.Not all sounds made by animals serve as language，动物发出的声音不全是作语言交际。此句采用了部分否定，即不是否定所有的动物，而只是一部分。
serve as，作……之用。
例句：May this punishment serve as a warning to you.
你要以此为鉴戒。
serve the purpose，起作用、 能解决问题。
例句1：It"s not exactly what I wanted but it will serve my purpose.
这个跟我想要的不太一样，但也算可以。
例句2：Theories serve a dual purpose.
理论有双重效果。
2.play a role/part in，在……方面起作用。
例句：Parents play significant roles in educating a child.
父母在教育孩子方面有着举足轻重的作用。
take part/role in，参加，参与。
例句：We all had to take part in the training run, with nobody excepted.
我们大家都得参加跑步训练，无人例外。
3.in the vicinity of，在……附近。
这是比较正式、书面的表达法，和near是同一个意思。
例句：All the ships in the vicinity of the crash joined in the search for survivors.
撞船事故发生地区的所有船只都参加了搜寻幸存者的工作。
另外，vicinity也可以表达大约、大概。
例句：This city has a population in the vicinity of 100000.
这座城市有10万左右的人口。
4.So was born the echo-sounding apparatus，这样就诞生了回声探测仪。这是一个倒装句，主要是为了避免因主语过长而使全句失去平衡，同时也为了使apparatus的定语now in general use in ships紧挨着名词。
in general use，普遍使用。
generally speaking，通常说来。
in general terms，总的说来。
5.vary，变化。
vary with sth，随……变化而变化。
例句：Prices vary with the seasons.
物价随季节而变动。
名词：variety，种类。
形容词①：variable，可变的，多变的。
形容词②：various，各种各样的。
6.steer clear of，避开
If you steer clear of someone or something, you deliberately avoid them.
例句：Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.
从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。
【参考译文】
动物发出的声音不都是用作语言交际。我们只要看一看蝙蝠回声定位这一极不寻常的发现，就可以探究一下声音在什么情况下有绝对的实用价值。
要透彻理解这句话的意义，我们应先回顾一下人类最近的几项发明。大家都知道，在墙壁或山腰附近发出的喊声，就会听到回声。固体障碍物越远。回声返回所用时间就越长。敲打船体所发了的声音会从海底传回来，测出回声间隔的时间，便可算出该处海洋的深度。这样就产生了目前各种船舶上普遍应用的回声探测仪。任何固体者反射声音，反射的声音因物体的大小和性质的不同而不同。鱼群也反射声音。从测定海深到测定鱼群，这一进展比较容易。根据经验和改进了的仪器，不仅能够确定鱼群的位置，而且可以根据鱼群回声的特点分辨出是鲱鱼、鳕鱼，这是人们所熟悉的其他鱼。
人们发现，某些蝙蝠能发出尖叫声，并能通过回声来确定并躲开障碍物，或找到它们赖以为生的昆虫。蝙蝠这种回声定位常常可与雷达相比较，其原理是相似的。
【课文】
Alfred the Great acted as 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 harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.
While Alfred"s little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, 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 horde. 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 harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed 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 epic 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
ballad 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
conqueror 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
harry v. 骚扰
assail v. 袭击
skirmish n. 小规模战斗
episode n. 一个事件，片断
epic n. 史诗
【课文注释】
1. penetrate，渗透，潜入，领悟。
①渗透，渗入某物
例句：The heavy rain had penetrated right through her coat.
大雨湿透了她的大衣。
②(人员)渗入对方
例句：The party has been penetrated by extremists.
有些极端分子已打入该党。
③ 被充分理解或领悟
例句：I explained the problem to him several times but it didn"t seem to penetrate.
那问题我向他解释多次，他似无所悟。
2. act as，担任，充当。
If someone or something acts as a particular thing, they have that role or function.
例句：I must find someone to act as a deputy for me during my absence.
我必须找一个人，在我离开期间代理我的职务。
3. disguised as，伪装成。
a man disguised as...表示伪装成……的人;
a...in disguise表示本质是……但伪装成其它的人。
例句：The raiders disguised themselves as security guards.
袭击者都装扮成了保安人员。
例句：The supposed beggar was really a police officer in disguise.
那个众人眼中的乞丐，其实是化了装的警察。
4. settle down，安定，驻扎。
When someone settles down, they start living a quiet life in one place, especially when they get married or buy a house.
例句：At 30 we need to settle down to our lives and shed from fantasies.
30岁时，我们需要安定下来，丢掉幻想。
5. 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=live off，靠……为生。
例句：If you live on a mountain, you live off the mountain; if you live by the water, you live off the water.
靠山吃山，靠水吃水。
6. proceeds n. 收入;
proceed v. 进行下去;
proceedings n. 诉讼，进程。
例句：Proceeds from the concert will go to charity.
音乐会的收入将捐赠给慈善事业。
例句：Shall we proceed with the planned investment?
我们着手进行有计划的投资好吗?
例句：The workers decided to take judicial proceedings against the company.
工人们决定对公司正式提起诉讼。
7. be fit for，适宜于……。
例句：He"s been ill and isn"t fit for work yet.
他一直在生病，尚不能工作。
【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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