Week 72

NCE4 Lesson 9 Royal Espionage

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. There 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

文章背景

Bernard Charles Newman(8 May 1897 – 19 February 1968) was a British author of over 100 books, both fiction and non-fiction. An historian, he was considered an authority on spies, but also wrote travel books and on politics. His fiction included mystery novels, science fiction and children's books.

Alfred(849~899): king of the West Saxons (871~899). He is one of the most outstanding figures of English history. He is the only ruler to resist Danish invaders, that is Vikings, successfully. Alfred made his kingdomthe rallying point for all the Saxons, thus laying the foundation for the unification of England. He was recognized as the first king of England. Today his name still carries thunder: Alfred the Great.

Guthrum: Danish king, he was forced to accept baptism after being defeated by Alfred.


The Isle of Athelney is best known for once being the fortress hiding place of KingAlfred the Great, from where he went on to defeat theDanesat theBattle of Edingtonin May 878.

表达积累

espionage /'espiənɑ:ʒ/

n. 间谍活动

[U] attempts to discover your enemy’s political, military, or industrial secrets using secret methods

→counter-espionage 反间谍活动

扩展：

=spy

=secret agent

=（口语）mole/məul/ 鼹鼠，间谍

spy on ...

spy on sb/sth窥探，暗中监视

phrasal verb [spies on sb/sthspying on sb/sthspied on sb/sthspied on sb/sthspied on sb/sth]

to watch someone or something secretly, often in order to discover information about them

eg. He was spying on her through the keyhole.

wandering /'wɒndərɪŋ/

adj. 浪迹天涯的，居无定所的

a band of wandering musicians

wander / roam 漫无目的的闲逛

have / take / go for a walk / stroll（老太太拄着拐慢悠悠散步）

He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock.

The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after a heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll （蜗牛慢悠悠爬）on some of my prize plants.

walk the dog 遛狗

walk my girlfriend home 陪女友回家（西方人和狗地位一样）

stretch one’s legs 抻抻腿

stray 迷途的羔羊

西方把人比作stray sheep，所以有“牧师”，引导人去向正确的方向

acrobatic/ ˌækrəˈbætik /

adj. 杂技的

→n. acrobat/ ˈækrəbæt / 杂技演员

walking on tiptop 走钢丝

eg. an acrobatic dancer

特技舞蹈演员

词根：

→来自词根acer, 尖的，高的。-bat, 走，同vent,走，见advent,来临。-t,过去分词格。acrobat指走高空钢丝的杂技演员，后统指杂技演员。

conjuring /'kʌndʒərɪŋ/

n. 变戏法，变魔术

conjuring / magic

conjure

conjurer / magician 魔法师

eg. The magician conjured a rabbit out of his hat.

"jure"→发誓

abjure 公开放弃，声明弃绝

eg. abjure one’s religion

adjure /əˈdʒuə(r)/ 要求

词根jur, 法，起誓。原指要求某人以上帝的名义起誓所述为真。

eg. I adjure you to tell the truth.

injure 使受伤

perjure (oneself) / ˈpəːdʒə(r)/ 作伪证/发假誓 +反身代词

eg. The witness perjured himself.

thither /'ðɪðə(r)/

adv. 去那里，到那里

thither =there

hither =here

hither and thither = here and there 正式用语

The leaves were blown hither and thither by the wind.

slack /slæk/

adj. 松弛的；懈怠的；萧条的

OPP

tight 绷紧的

taut / tɔːt / 紧张的，节奏紧凑的

eg. Business is bad / slack / depressed in winter. 冬季生意萧条。

Business is good / booming/ prosperous.

conqueror /'kɒŋkərə(r)/

n. 征服者

William the Conqueror

conquer 武力征服

eg. I came, I saw, I conquered.

eg. conquer the mountain 征服这座山

eg. I finally conquered my fear of heights. 克服恐高症

eg. She has conquered the hearts of many men. 征服……的心

precaution /prɪ'kɔ:ʃn/

n. 预防措施

n. sth. you do in order to prevent sth. dangerous from happening

fire / safety / security / sanitary precautions

take precautions 采取……预防措施

eg. The government took precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.

=take measures

take effective measures to do … 有效措施

take drastic measures to do … 激烈措施

caution

cautious

cautious optimism about sth. 对sth持谨慎乐观的态度

be cautiously optimistic about sth.

proceeds /'prəʊsi:dz/ n. 收入，收益

n. the money that is obtained from doing sth. or selling sth.

proceeds of / from sth.

The proceeds of the concert will go to charity. 慈善事业

SYNgain 收入；fame and gain名利；profit 利益

n.→proceedings 法律，诉讼程序

divorce proceedings 离婚诉讼

V. proceed to do …

assemble /ə'sembl/

v. 人群聚集；装配，组装

eg. A large crowd assembled outside the American embassy.

人群主动聚集

eg. A large crowd was assembled outside the American embassy.

被集结，有领头人

assemble a computer 组装电脑

dismantle / take apart 拆卸

dismantle the computer

take the computer apart

prolonged /prə'lɒŋd/

adj. 持久的，长时间的

eg. prolonged questioning 长时间盘问

eg. prolonged exposure to the sun 长期暴露在阳光中

prolong

SYNprotract（protracted) 使延长

eg. protracted warfare = prolonged warfare 持久战

OPPcurtail vt. 缩短，cut-tail

curtail one’s holiday

episode /'epɪsəʊd/

n. 插曲，片段，逸事

an event occurring as part of a long series of events, as in a novel, one’s life, etc.

eg. Please watch next week’s thrilling episode! 电视剧的某一集

eg. the final episode

harry /'hæri/

vt. 骚扰，纠缠

eg. He was harried by journalists 记者（狗仔队）/ phone calls.

• harass / ˈhærəs; həˈræs /

  harassment

  sexual harassment 性骚扰

• assail 总缠着sb做sth

  eg. 新三 I had no sooner got off the ship than I was assailed by a man who wanted to sell me a diamond ring.

• pester

  pester sb. for sth. 缠着sb 做sth

  eg. The beggar pestered me for money.

  pester sb. to do

  eg. 新三 From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home.

royal

the Royal Air Force / Navy 皇家海军

royalty

①版税；②[U]王室成员

loyal adj. 忠诚

loyalty n.

in (one’s) youth 在青年时期

penetrate (into / through) … 费力进入，打入

eg. Our troops have penetrated (into) enemy territory. 深入敌区

扩展：

trespass on … 非法侵入

Trespassers will be prosecuted.

重难点

Alfred the Great acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel.

act as …

1.（临时）担任某工作

eg. My brother speaks French—he can act as interpreter.

2.当做……来用

= be used as / serve as / function as

eg. Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, …

disguise A as B

eg. The king disguised himself as a peasant.

=dress (sb.) up as …

eg. The king dressed (himself) up as a peasant.

dressed up as …（非谓语）

eg. 新三 When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university, he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill.

There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.

as well as … 除了……之外还……突出前者

=There they collected women

• in additionto food and drink

• besidesfood and drink

但是not only …but also…强调后者

=There they collected not only food and drink but also women.

文章写作手法

… and their harp was their passport.

passport 护照；visa 签证

暗喻 Metaphor

1、喻体直陈式

eg. She was an angel of a wife.

2、喻体全隐式

eg. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested.

把书比作吃的。

3、喻体半隐式

eg. He doesn’t have an idea of his own. He just parrots（vt. 鹦鹉学舌） what other people say．

hunger assailed the Danish army.

无灵主语做主语

eg. Sunset met them halfway.