Animal Farm
Chapter 7
In January food fell short.
The corn ration was drastically reduced, and it was announced that an extra potato ration would be issued to make up for it.
Then it was discovered that the greater part of the potato crop had been frosted in the clamps, which had not been covered thickly enough.
The potatoes had become soft and discoloured, and only a few were edible.
For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels.
Starvation seemed to stare them in the face.
It was vitally necessary to conceal this fact from the outside world.
Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill, the human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm.
Once again it was being put about that all the animals were dying of famine and disease, and that they were continually fighting among themselves and had resorted to cannibalism and infanticide.
Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation were known, and he decided to make use of Mr.Whymper to spread a contrary impression.
Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now, however, a few selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased.
In addition, Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed to be filled nearly to the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what remained of the grain and meal.
On some suitable pretext Whymper was led through the store-shed and allowed to catch a glimpse of the bins.
He was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm.
translation
- 一月份食物短缺。
- 玉米的配给量大幅减少，并且宣布将额外发放一些土豆来弥补。
- 后来发现大部分土豆收成在地窖里被霜冻了，因为覆盖得不够厚。
- 土豆变得松软且变色了，只有少数几个还能食用。
- 一连好几天，动物们除了谷糠和甜菜根之外，没有别的东西可吃。
- 饥饿似乎已经迫在眉睫了。
- 对外部世界隐瞒这一事实是至关重要的。
- 人类因风车的倒塌而胆子大了起来，正在编造有关动物庄园的新谎言。
- 又有人在四处散布谣言，说所有的动物都在死于饥荒和疾病，还说它们内部不断争斗，甚至已经到了同类相食、残杀幼崽的地步。
- 拿破仑深知，如果外界知道了食物状况的真实情况，可能会产生严重后果，于是他决定利用温珀先生来传播一种与之相反的印象。
- 在此之前，在温珀每周来访时，动物们跟他几乎没什么接触，或者说根本就没有接触过。然而现在，有几头经过挑选的动物（大多数是绵羊）接到指示，要在温珀能听到的地方，装作不经意地议论说口粮已经增加了。
- 找了个合适的借口，温珀被领到仓库去，让他得以瞥见那些箱子。
- 他上当了，继续向外界报告说动物庄园并不存在食物短缺的情况。
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "drastically",
"trans": [
"adv. （动作或变化）猛烈地，力度大地 ；极其，非常"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdræstɪkli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "issue",
"trans": [
"v. 分发，分配；发表，颁布；正式发行；流出，发出；由……产生，由……得出",
"n. 发放，分配；议题，争论点；（报纸、杂志等的）期，号；（新股票或邮票等的）发行；子女，后嗣；流出，发出；<旧>结果，后果"
],
"usphone": "'ˈɪʃuː'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "make up",
"trans": [
"na. 弥补；起草；定；签订",
"网络 组成；化妆；编造"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmeɪk ʌp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "frosted",
"trans": [
"adj. 被霜覆盖的；冻伤的；冷淡的；无光泽的",
"v. 下霜"
],
"usphone": "'ˈfrɔːstɪd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "clamp",
"trans": [
"n. （保护块根作物越冬的）草皮堆；夹具，夹钳；车轮固定夹；钳位电路；（窑内的）砖垛；",
"v. （用夹具）夹紧，夹住；紧紧抓住，牢牢固定住；<英>给（车辆）上夹钳；保持（电信号）电压极限在规定水平"
],
"usphone": "'klæmp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "discolour",
"trans": [
"v. 变色；褪色；损坏……的颜色（等于 discolor）"
],
"usphone": "'dɪsˈkʌlər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "edible",
"trans": [
"adj. 可食用的",
"n. 食物"
],
"usphone": "'ˈedəb(ə)l'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "For days at a time",
"trans": [
"一连好几天"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "chaff",
"trans": [
"n. 糠；谷壳；无价值的东西",
"vi. 开玩笑；打趣",
"vt. 开玩笑；逗趣"
],
"usphone": "'tʃæf'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "mangel",
"trans": [
"n. 饲料甜菜"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmæŋɡl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "vitally",
"trans": [
"adv. 极其；紧要地；生死攸关地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈvaɪtəli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "conceal",
"trans": [
"v. 隐匿，隐藏；隐瞒（真实感情或真相）；遮盖，遮住"
],
"usphone": "'kənˈsiːl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "embolden",
"trans": [
"v. （使）有胆量，更勇敢；鼓励；（使）有信心；将文本变成粗体"
],
"usphone": "'ɪmˈboʊldən'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "collapse",
"trans": [
"v. 倒塌，塌下；崩溃，瓦解；突然倒下，昏倒；瘫倒；突然贬值，暴跌；萎陷，瘪掉；折叠",
"n. 倒塌，塌陷；突然失败，崩溃；病倒，垮掉；突然贬值，暴跌"
],
"usphone": "'kəˈlæps'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "put about",
"trans": [
"网络 散布；掉转航向；麻烦；",
"v. 转变方向"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "famine",
"trans": [
"n. 饥荒，饥馑；匮乏，短缺；<古>饥饿"
],
"usphone": "'ˈfæmɪn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "disease",
"trans": [
"n. 疾病，病害；弊病，恶习",
"v. 传染，使……有病"
],
"usphone": "'dɪˈziːz'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "resort",
"trans": [
"v. 去；凭藉",
"n. 度假胜地；诉诸；采取；旅游胜地",
],
"usphone": "'rɪˈzɔːrt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "cannibalism",
"trans": [
"n. 食人；嗜食同类；残忍的行为"
],
"usphone": "'ˈkænɪbəlɪzəm'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "infanticide",
"trans": [
"n. 杀婴，杀婴者；杀婴犯；杀婴罪"
],
"usphone": "'ɪnˈfæntɪsaɪd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "well aware of",
"trans": [
"充分意识到：对某事或某情况有清楚的认识和了解。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "make use of",
"trans": [
"网络 利用；利用某事物；利用好时间",
"na. 使用"
],
"usphone": "'meɪk juːz əv'",
"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": "hitherto",
"trans": [
"adv. 迄今，至今"
],
"usphone": "'ˌhɪðərˈtuː'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "instructed",
"trans": [
"adj. 受教育的；得到指示的",
"v. 指示；教育（****** 的过去分词形式）"
],
"usphone": "'ɪnˈstrʌktɪd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "casually",
"trans": [
"adv. 随意地，漫不经心地；临时地；偶然地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈkæʒuəli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "store shed",
"trans": [
"储藏棚：一种用于存放物品的简易建筑，通常位于户外，用于存放家具、工具等。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "brim",
"trans": [
"n. 帽檐，帽边；（容器的）口，边沿",
"v. （使）满，盛满；充满"
],
"usphone": "'brɪm'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "cover up",
"trans": [
"掩饰：隐藏或伪装某事物。",
"穿衣：穿上衣物。"
],
"usphone": "'ˈkʌvər ʌp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "pretext",
"trans": [
"n. 借口，托词"
],
"usphone": "'ˈpriːtekst'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "glimpse",
"trans": [
"n. 一瞥，一看；短暂的感受，短暂的体验",
"v. 瞥见；开始理解；<古>闪烁，隐约出现"
],
"usphone": "'ɡlɪmps'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "deceive",
"trans": [
"v. 欺骗，蒙骗；使误信，误导；对（丈夫、妻子或伴侣）不忠"
],
"usphone": "'dɪˈsiːv'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "food shortage",
"trans": [
"食物短缺：指某地区或某个时期内食物供应不足的情况，导致人们无法获得足够的食物。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]