Animal Farm
Chapter 1 (14-17)
“Comrades,” he said, “here is a point that must be settled.
The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits - are they our friends or our enemies?
Let us put it to the vote.
I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?”
The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades.
There were only four dissentients, the three dogs and the cat, who was afterwards discovered to have voted on both sides.
Major continued:
“I have little more to say.
I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways.
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him.
Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices.
No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade.
All the habits of Man are evil.
And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind.
Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.
No animal must ever kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
“And now, comrades, I will tell you about my dream of last night.
I cannot describe that dream to you.
It was a dream of the earth/ as it will be/ when Man has vanished.
But it reminded me of something/ that I had long forgotten.
Many years ago, when I was a little pig, my mother and the other sows used to sing an old song of which they knew only the tune and the first three words.
I had known that tune in my infancy, but it had long since passed out of my mind.
Last night, however, it came back to me in my dream.
And what is more, the words of the song also came back - words, I am certain, which were sung/ by the animals of long ago/ and have been lost to memory for generations.
I will sing you that song now, comrades.
I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves.
It is called Beasts of England.”
comprehend
- “To the meeting” 通常用来表示带着某个目的或议题去参加会议。它强调的是将某个问题、想法或提议带到会议中去讨论或解决。
- “At the meeting” 则用来描述在会议的地点或时间发生的事情。它强调的是会议的环境或背景。
- “taken at once” 这个短语通常用来描述某个行动或决策是立即、迅速发生的，没有延迟。它强调了事情发生的迅速性和及时性。
- "goes upon" 可以理解为“行走”、“行动”或“移动”。
- "fighting against" 这个短语可以翻译为“与……作斗争”或“反抗……”。
- "must ever" 这个短语可以理解为“必须永远”或“绝对必须”。这是一种强调语气，用来表明某些规则或原则是不容违反的，具有持久性和强制性。
- 当 "however" 放在句子中间时，它的前后通常都需要用逗号隔开。这种用法可以突出转折的部分，使其更加明显。
- "What is more" 是一个表达递进关系的短语，用来引入额外的信息或更强调后面的内容。它相当于说“而且”或“更重要的是”，意味着接下来要说的事情增加了新的重点或是对前面内容的增强。
translation
- 同志们，”他说，“这里有一个必须解决的问题。
- 野生动物，比如老鼠和兔子 —— 它们是我们的朋友还是敌人？
- 让我们投票决定。
- 我在会议上提出这个问题：老鼠是同志吗？
- 投票立即进行了，绝大多数人都同意老鼠是同志。
- 只有四张反对票，三张来自狗，一张来自猫。后来发现猫同时在两边投了票。
- Major 继续说道：
- 我没有更多要说的了。
- 我只是重申，永远记住你们对人类及其所有行为方式的敌对职责。
- 任何用两条腿行走的生物都是我们的敌人。
- 任何用四条腿行走，或者有翅膀的生物都是我们的朋友。
- 在与人类作斗争时，我们必须确保不会变得像他们一样。
- 即使你们征服了他，也不要效仿他的恶习。
- 任何动物都不得住在房子里，或者睡在床上，或者穿衣服，或者饮酒，或者吸烟，或者接触金钱，或者从事贸易。
- 人类的一切习惯都是邪恶的。
- 最重要的是，任何动物都不得对自己的同类施行暴政。
- 无论强壮还是虚弱，聪明还是愚蠢，我们都是兄弟。
- 任何动物都不得杀害其他动物。
- 所有动物都是平等的。
- “现在，同志们，我要告诉你们我昨晚的梦。
- 我无法向你们描述那个梦。
- 那是一个关于地球的梦，当人类消失后地球将会变成什么样子。
- 但它让我想起了我早已忘记的事情。
- 很多年前，当我还是一只小猪的时候，我的母亲和其他母猪经常唱一首老歌，她们只记得曲调和前三个字。
- 我小时候就知道那首曲子，但它早已从我的脑海中消失了。
- 然而，昨晚它在我梦中回来了。
- 更重要的是，那首歌的歌词也回来了——我确信，这些歌词是很久以前的动物们唱过的，而它们已经被遗忘了许多代。
- 我现在要给你们唱这首歌，同志们。
- 我年岁已高，声音嘶哑，但当我教会你们这首曲子后，你们可以自己更好地唱。
- 这首歌叫做《英格兰的野兽》。
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "point",
"trans": [
"n. 要点，核心问题；观点，论点；",
"v. 指向；指点；瞄准；指引"
],
"usphone": "'pɔɪnt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "settle",
"trans": [
"v. 解决，结束（争端等）；定居；结算；停留；确定",
""
],
"usphone": "'ˈset(ə)l'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "propose",
"trans": [
"v. 建议；提议；求婚；打算",
""
],
"usphone": "'prəˈpoʊz'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "majority",
"trans": [
"n. 大多数；<英>多数票；成年的法定年龄；多数党；少校军衔，少校职位
adj. 多数人的"
],
"usphone": "'məˈdʒɔːrəti'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "dissentient",
"trans": [
"n. 不赞成的人，持异议的",
"adj. 反对的，持异议的；不赞成的"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "'dɪ'senʃɪənt'"
},
{
"name": "resemble",
"trans": [
"v. 像，与……相似"
],
"usphone": "'rɪˈzemb(ə)l'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "conquer",
"trans": [
"v. 击败，战胜；征服，占领，攻克；克服（恐惧），解决（问题）；成功攀登；在……很受欢迎，在……取得成功"
],
"usphone": "'ˈkɑːŋkər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "adopt",
"trans": [
"v. 收养；领养；正式通过；采用（某方法）"
],
"usphone": "'əˈdɑːpt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "vice",
"trans": [
"n. 恶行；邪恶；虎钳；堕落；",
"v. 钳制；用老虎钳夹紧"
],
"usphone": "'vaɪs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "tyrannise",
"trans": [
"施暴政，实行极权统治，横行霸道"
],
"usphone": "'ˈtɪrəˌnaɪz'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "simple",
"trans": [
"adj. 笨；易于理解的；易做的；简单的",
"n. 单体；头脑简单的人；药草制剂；〈古〉药用植物"
],
"usphone": "'ˈsɪmp(ə)l'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "vanish",
"trans": [
"v. 突然不见，消失；不复存在，灭绝；（数学）变为零；使不见，使消失",
"n. 弱化音"
],
"usphone": "'ˈvænɪʃ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "long forgotten",
"trans": [
"早已被遗忘的：指那些已经过去很久，人们已经不再记得的事物或事件。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "sow",
"trans": [
"n. 母猪；【冶】高炉铁水沟；炉底结块；火铸型",
"v. 播种；灌输；激起；散布"
],
"usphone": "'soʊ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "tune",
"trans": [
"n. 曲调，曲子；歌曲，乐段",
"v. （给乐器）调音，校音；（给收音机、电视等）调谐，调频道；调整，调节（发动机）；调整，使适合；<南非，非正式>告诉"
],
"usphone": "'tuːn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "infancy",
"trans": [
"n. 幼年，婴儿期；初期，摇篮期；<法律>未成年"
],
"usphone": "'ˈɪnfənsi'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "long since",
"trans": [
"很久以前，已经很久了"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "pass out",
"trans": [
"na. 出去；喝得烂醉；不复(存在)；不再(出版)",
"晕了；昏过去了；喝醉了"
],
"usphone": "'pæs aʊt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "what is more",
"trans": [
"而且；更重要的是；更有甚者",
"na. 加之"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "lost to memory",
"trans": [
"被遗忘的，被遗忘在记忆中的"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "generation",
"trans": [
"n. 一代（人）；一代人的时间；（产品发展的）代；产生"
],
"usphone": "'ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃ(ə)n'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "hoarse",
"trans": [
"adj. 嘶哑的"
],
"usphone": "'hɔːrs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "taught",
"trans": [
"v. 教授（teach 的过去分词）"
],
"usphone": "'tɔːt'",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]