Animal Farm

Chapter 5

On the third Sunday after Snowball's expulsion, the animals were somewhat surprised to hear Napoleon announce that the windmill was to be built after all.

He did not give any reason for having changed his mind, but merely warned the animals that this extra task would mean very hard work, it might even be necessary to reduce their rations.

The plans, however, had all been prepared, down to the last detail.

A special committee of pigs had been at work upon them for the past three weeks.

The building of the windmill, with various other improvements, was expected to take two years.

That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill.

On the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon's papers.

The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon's own creation.

Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it?

Here Squealer looked very sly.

That, he said, was Comrade Napoleon's cunning, He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence.

Now that Snowball was out of the way, the plan could go forward without his interference.

This, said Squealer, was something called tactics.

He repeated a number of times, “Tactics, comrades, tactics!” skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh.

The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.

translation
  1. 在斯诺鲍被驱逐后的第三个星期天，动物们有些惊讶地听到拿破仑宣布风车最终还是要建造。
  2. 他没有给出任何改变主意的原因，只是警告动物们这个额外的任务将意味着非常艰苦的工作，甚至可能需要减少他们的食物配给。
  3. 然而，所有的计划都已经准备就绪，连最微小的细节都考虑到了。
  4. 在过去的三周里，一个由猪组成的特别委员会一直在研究这些计划。
  5. 建造风车以及各种其他改进措施预计需要两年时间。
  6. 那个晚上，斯奎拉私下向其他动物解释，拿破仑实际上从未反对过建造风车。
  7. 相反，正是他最初提倡建造风车，而斯诺鲍在孵化室地板上绘制的计划实际上是从拿破仑的文件中偷来的。
  8. 事实上，风车是拿破仑自己的创造。
  9. 那有人问，为什么他之前那么强烈地反对它呢？
  10. 这时斯奎拉看起来非常狡猾。
  11. 他说，这是拿破仑同志的精明之处。他似乎反对建风车，仅仅是为了摆脱斯诺鲍，因为斯诺鲍是个危险人物，有不良影响。
  12. 既然斯诺鲍已经被赶走，这个计划就可以不受他干扰地继续进行下去了。
  13. 斯奎拉说，这叫做策略。
  14. 他多次重复道：“同志们，这就是策略，策略！”一边转圈，一边欢快地笑着甩动尾巴。
  15. 动物们不太确定这个词的意思，但斯奎拉说得如此有说服力，而且他身边的三只狗发出的威胁性咆哮声，使他们接受了他的解释，没有再提问题。
vocabulary
[
    {
        "name": "expulsion",
        "trans": [
            "n. 驱逐；开除"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ɪkˈspʌlʃn'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "after all",
        "trans": [
            "na. 最后；终究；毕竟；",
            "网络 究竟；到底；终于"
        ],
        "usphone": "''",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "down to",
        "trans": [
            "甚至包括（最小或最不重要的部分）",
            "只剩下最后一个人或物：只剩下最后一个可以使用的人或物。"
        ],
        "usphone": "'daʊn tu'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "various",
        "trans": [
            "adj. 各种各样的；迥异的，千差万别的",
            "det. 不止一个的，各别的",
            "pron. 不止一个的，各别的"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈveriəs'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "privately",
        "trans": [
            "adv. 私下地；秘密地"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈpraɪvətli'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "improvements",
        "trans": [
            "n. 提高，改进（****** 的复数）"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ɪmˈprʊvmənt'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "contrary",
        "trans": [
            "adj. 相反的，相对的；乖戾的，好与人作对的；逆向的，逆行的",
            "n. 相反的事实（或事情、情况）；对立命题，反对命题",
            "adv. 相反地"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈkɑːntreri'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "incubator",
        "trans": [
            "n. （体弱或早产婴儿）恒温箱；孵化器"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈɪŋkjubeɪtər'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "sly",
        "trans": [
            "adj. 狡猾的，狡诈的；诡秘的，心知肚明的；（动作）躲躲闪闪的，偷偷摸摸的；淘气的"
        ],
        "usphone": "'slaɪ'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "cunning",
        "trans": [
            "n. 灵巧，巧妙；狡猾，诡诈；",
            "adj. 狡猾的，诡诈的；灵巧的，巧妙的；<美>可爱的，好看的"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈkʌnɪŋ'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "manoeuvre",
        "trans": [
            "n. 熟练（谨慎）的动作；军事演习；策略，花招；欺诈性操作",
            "v. （使谨慎或熟练地）移动；操纵，控制"
        ],
        "usphone": "'məˈnuːvər'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "interference",
        "trans": [
            "n. 干涉，干预；（收音机或电视机受到的）干扰信号；犯规阻挡；抵触，冲突"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˌɪntərˈfɪrəns'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "tactics",
        "trans": [
            "n. 战术，兵法；方法，策略，手法（***** 的复数）"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈtæktɪks'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "persuasively",
        "trans": [
            "adv. 令人信服地；口才好地"
        ],
        "usphone": "'pərˈsweɪsɪvli'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "growl",
        "trans": [
            "v. （动物）低沉吼叫，咆哮；（人）低声咆哮着说，恶狠狠地威胁；（事物）发轰隆声；愤愤不平地抱怨",
            "n. 怒吼声，咆哮；（尤指狗发出的）低吠；（机器或引擎发出的）隆隆声"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ɡraʊl'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "threateningly",
        "trans": [
            "adv. 威胁地；危险地；险恶地"
        ],
        "usphone": "'ˈθretnɪŋli'",
        "ukphone": "''"
    },
    {
        "name": "further questions",
        "trans": [
            "进一步的问题：在讨论或了解某个主题时，可能需要提出更详细或更深入的问题。"
        ],
        "usphone": "''",
        "ukphone": "''"
    }
]
最近更新:
Contributors: liujw155@outlook.com