Animal Farm
Chapter 1 (P4-8)
The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on.
Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep.
At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr.Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar.
She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with.
Last of all came the cat, who looked round, as usual, for the warmest place, and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech without listening to a word of what he was saying.
All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back door.
When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:
“Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But I will come to the dream later.
I have something else to say first.
I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired.
I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living.
It is about this that I wish to speak to you.
“Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours?
Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short.
We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty.
No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old.
No animal in England is free.
The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.
“But is this simply part of the order of nature?
Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it?
No, comrades, a thousand times no!
The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food/ in abundance/ to an enormously greater number of animals/ than now inhabit it.
This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep, and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining.
Why then do we continue in this miserable condition?
Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings.
There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems.
It is summed up in a single word -- Man.
Man is the only real enemy we have.
Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.
phrase
- "last atom of our strength" 中的 "last atom" 是指最后的一点力量，直到极限。
sentence
- 这两匹马刚躺下，一群失去了母亲的小鸭子就排成一行走进了谷仓，它们微弱地吱吱叫着，来回走动寻找一个不会被踩到的地方。
- 克拉弗用她的大前腿围成了一个类似墙壁的圈，小鸭子们蜷缩在里面，很快就睡着了。
- 在最后一刻，莫莉——那匹拉琼斯先生马车的愚蠢而漂亮的白马——优雅地踱了进来，嘴里嚼着一块糖。
- 她走到了接近前方的位置，开始轻拂她的白色鬃毛，希望引起大家对她编织在其中的红色丝带的注意。
- 最后到的是猫，它像往常一样环顾四周寻找最温暖的地方，最终挤到了鲍克瑟和克拉弗之间；在那里，她自得其乐地打起了呼噜，对老少校的演讲一个字也没听。
- 除了摩西——那只驯服的渡鸦，所有的动物都到齐了。它正栖息在后面门边的一根栖木上睡觉。
- 当老少校（Major）看到所有的动物都已经安顿好，正专心地等待着，他清了清嗓子开始说道：
- 同志们，你们已经听说了我昨晚的那个奇怪的梦。但关于这个梦，我稍后再讲。
- 我还有其他事情要先说。
- 同志们，我认为我再和你们在一起的时间不会超过几个月了，在我去世之前，我觉得有责任把我所积累的智慧传授给你们。
- 我已经活得很长了，在马厩里独自躺着时有很多时间思考，我想我可以说，我对这个世界上生活的真谛理解得和现在活着的任何动物一样好。
- 正是关于这一点，我想和你们谈谈。
- 现在，同志们，我们这种生活的本质是什么？
- 让我们面对现实吧：我们的生活是悲惨的、辛劳的，而且短暂。
- 我们出生了，我们得到的食物仅仅足够维持生命，而那些有能力工作的动物被迫劳作到精疲力尽；一旦我们不再有用，就会以极其残忍的方式被杀害。
- 在英格兰，没有一只动物在一岁以后还知道幸福或悠闲的含义。
- 在英格兰，没有一只动物是自由的。
- 动物的生活就是悲惨和奴役：这是不争的事实。
- 但这仅仅是自然秩序的一部分吗？
- 是因为我们这片土地太贫瘠，无法为居住在上面的生灵提供体面的生活吗？
- 不，同志们，绝对不是！
- 英格兰的土地肥沃，气候宜人，它完全有能力供养比现在居住的动物多得多的生物。
- 我们这个农场能够养活十几匹马、二十头牛、数百只羊，而且它们都能以我们现在几乎无法想象的那种舒适和尊严生活。
- 那么，为什么我们还要继续忍受这种悲惨的状况呢？
- 因为我们劳动的成果几乎全部被人类夺走了。
- 同志们，这就是我们所有问题的答案。
- 这可以用一个词来概括——人类。
- 人类是我们唯一真正的敌人。
- 将人类从这个场景中移除，饥饿和过度劳作的根本原因将永远被废除。
::：
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "brood",
"trans": [
"n. 一大家孩子；一窝幼雏；幼蜂",
"v. 孵蛋；沉思，担忧",
"adj. 传种的，为繁殖而饲养的"
],
"usphone": "'bruːd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "file",
"trans": [
"v. 列队行进；（把文件等）归档，存档；提起（诉讼），提出（申请）；发送（消息或报道）给报社；锉平",
"n. 文件夹（或箱、柜等）；（计算机的）文档；档案；纵列；锉刀；（与某政策领域相关的）议题，职责"
],
"usphone": "'faɪl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "filed into",
"trans": [
"排队进入：指按照顺序排队进入某个地方或参加某个活动。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "cheep",
"trans": [
"vt. 吱吱地叫",
"n. 吱吱的叫声"
],
"usphone": "'tʃiːp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "feebly",
"trans": [
"adv. 无力地；微弱地；柔弱地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈfiːbli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "wandering",
"trans": [
"n. 徘徊；流浪；漫游；漂移",
"adj. 徘徊的；流离失所的；迷途的；(河流)曲折的",
"v. **** 的现在分词"
],
"usphone": "'ˈwɑːndərɪŋ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "trodden",
"trans": [
"v. 踩，踏；行走；沿着……走；用脚踩碎（tread 的过去分词）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈtrɑːdn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "trodden on",
"trans": [
"被踩踏：指某物被人或动物的脚踩到或踩坏。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "foreleg",
"trans": [
"n. 前脚；前腿"
],
"usphone": "'ˈfɔːrleɡ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "nestle",
"trans": [
"v. （使）偎依，（使）依靠；位于，坐落于（安全或隐蔽之处）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈnes(ə)l'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "promptly",
"trans": [
"adv. 迅速地；立即，马上；准时地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈprɑːmptli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "trap",
"trans": [
"n. （尤指旧时使用的）双轮轻便马车；（捕捉动物的）陷阱；圈套；诡计；牢笼",
"v. 使落入险境；使陷入困境；卡住；夹住"
],
"usphone": "'træp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "mincing",
"trans": [
"adj. 装腔作势的；矫饰的",
"v. 切碎（****e 的现在分词）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmɪnsɪŋ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "daintily",
"trans": [
"adv. 讲究地；优美地；难以取悦地；可口地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdeɪntɪli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "lump",
"trans": [
"n. （不定形的）块；（单独的）大量；肿块；方糖；<非正式>笨重的人，傻大个；<非正式>个体劳动者",
"v. 把……归并在一起；无奈地接受，勉强同意；结块，起疙瘩；<英>背负（重物）",
"adj. 成团的；总共的"
],
"usphone": "'lʌmp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "flirting",
"trans": [
"v. 玩弄；摆动；打情骂俏（**** 的 ing 形式）；",
"n. 打情骂俏",
"adj. 调情的"
],
"usphone": "'flɜːrtɪŋ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "mane",
"trans": [
"n. （马或狮子的）鬃毛；浓密的头发"
],
"usphone": "'meɪn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "plait",
"trans": [
"v. 编；在(布上)打褶",
"n. 辫子；麦秆缏；辫绳；褶边"
],
"usphone": "'pleɪt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "squeeze",
"trans": [
"v. 挤压；挤出；捏；（使）挤入",
"n. 挤压；塞；捏；榨出的液体"
],
"usphone": "'skwiz'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "purred",
"trans": [
"v．（猫）发出呼噜声：猫在感到舒适、满足或友好时发出的低沉、连续的声音。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "contentedly",
"trans": [
"adv. 满足地；安心地"
],
"usphone": "'kənˈtentɪdli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "throughout",
"trans": [
"prep. 遍及，到处；自始至终，贯穿整个时期",
"adv. 遍及，到处；自始至终，贯穿整个时期"
],
"usphone": "'θruːˈaʊt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "tame",
"trans": [
"adj. 养驯的；驯服的；平淡无奇的；枯燥乏味的",
"v. 驯化；驯服；使易于控制"
],
"usphone": "'teɪm'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "raven",
"trans": [
"n. 大乌鸦，掠夺，劫掠；",
"adj. 乌黑的",
"vt. 掠夺；狼吞虎咽",
"vi. 掠夺；狼吞虎咽"
],
"usphone": "'ˈreɪv(ə)n'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "attentively",
"trans": [
"adv. 注意地；聚精会神地；周到地"
],
"usphone": "'əˈtentɪvli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "comrade",
"trans": [
"n. 伙伴，战友；同志（用于社会主义政党的成员之间）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈkɑːmræd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "something else",
"trans": [
"其他的事物：指除了已经提到的事物之外的其他事物。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "shall",
"trans": [
"auxv. 将；要；会；就",
"modalv. 应该；将会；表示提出或征求意见"
],
"usphone": "'ʃəl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "be with",
"trans": [
"伴随；和……；在……方面先进"
],
"usphone": "'bi wɪð'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "wisdom",
"trans": [
"n. 智慧，才智；明智；学问，知识；普遍看法"
],
"usphone": "'ˈwɪzdəm'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "acquired",
"trans": [
"adj. 已获得的；[医]后天的；已成习惯的",
"v. 取得；捕获（**** 的过去分词）"
],
"usphone": "'əˈkwaɪrd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "thought",
"trans": [
"v. 认为，觉得；思考，考虑；想做，打算做（think 的过去式和过去分词形式）",
"n. 想法，看法，主意；考虑，深思；关心，顾虑；意图，希望，念头；思想，思潮；思考，思维；心思，思想（****s）"
],
"usphone": "'θɔːt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "stall",
"trans": [
"n. 牲畜棚；马厩；牛棚；摊位；",
"v. 停顿；抛锚；故意拖延（以赢得时间）；拖住（以赢得时间做某事）"
],
"usphone": "'stɔl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "miserable",
"trans": [
"adj. 痛苦的，使人难受的；（人）乖戾的，总是抱怨的；少得可怜的，太少的；糟糕的，差劲的"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmɪzrəb(ə)l'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "laborious",
"trans": [
"adj. 辛苦的；（尤指讲话，写作风格）造作的，不流畅的，耗时费力的，"
],
"usphone": "'ləˈbɔːriəs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "just so much",
"trans": [
"仅仅如此：表示某事物的数量或程度有限，不会超过某个范围。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "slaughter",
"trans": [
"n. （对动物的）屠宰；（对人的）屠杀；<非正式>彻底击败，一边倒的比赛",
"v. 宰杀（动物）；屠杀，杀戮；<非正式>（在体育比赛中）使惨败；<非正式>严厉批评"
],
"usphone": "'ˈslɔːtər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "hideous",
"trans": [
"adj. 非常可怕的，令人难以忍受的；（外表）极丑的，面目狰狞的；"
],
"usphone": "'ˈhɪdiəs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "cruelty",
"trans": [
"n. 虐待；残酷，残忍；不公，"
],
"usphone": "'ˈkruːəlti'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "leisure",
"trans": [
"adj. 空闲的，有闲的；业余的",
"n. 闲暇，业余时间；休闲活动"
],
"usphone": "'ˈliːʒər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "misery",
"trans": [
"n. 痛苦，苦难；穷困，悲惨境遇；<英，非正式>老发牢骚的人"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmɪzəri'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "slavery",
"trans": [
"n. 奴隶制，蓄奴；奴隶身份，奴役；过分依赖，过分投入"
],
"usphone": "'ˈsleɪvəri'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "plain truth",
"trans": [
"真相：指直接、明确、不加修饰的事实或真实情况。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "simply",
"trans": [
"adv. 仅仅，只，不过；简直，的确； 简单地，简明地；朴素地，简朴地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈsɪmpli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "dwell",
"trans": [
"v. 居住，栖身；总是想着，唠叨"
],
"usphone": "'dwel'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "enormously",
"trans": [
"adv. 非常，极其；（数量）巨大地"
],
"usphone": "'ɪˈnɔːrməsli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "dozen",
"trans": [
"n. 一打，十二个；大量，许多；十多个"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdʌz(ə)n'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "dignity",
"trans": [
"n. 尊严，自尊；庄严，端庄，庄重；尊贵，高贵，高尚；高位，显职"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdɪɡnəti'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "almost",
"trans": [
"ˈɔːlmoʊst"
],
"usphone": "'ˈɔːlmoʊst'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "beyond",
"trans": [
"prep. 超出；在（或向）…较远的一边；晚于；迟于",
"n. 那边",
"adv. 以远；在另一边；在（或向）更远处"
],
"usphone": "'bɪˈjɑːnd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "nearly",
"trans": [
"adv. 几乎，差不多；密切地，亲密地；即将，就要"
],
"usphone": "'ˈnɪrli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "labour",
"trans": [
"n. 劳动；劳动力；分娩；工人",
"v. 努力做（困难的事）；干苦力活；困难吃力地行进"
],
"usphone": "'ˈleɪbər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "summed up",
"trans": [
"概括",
"总结"
],
"usphone": "'sʌmd ʌp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "abolish",
"trans": [
"v. 废除，废止，取消"
],
"usphone": "'əˈbɑlɪʃ'",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]