Animal Farm
Chapter 7
Nevertheless, towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere.
In these days Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs.
When he did emerge, it was in a ceremonial manner, with an escort of six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near.
Frequently he did not even appear on Sunday mornings, but issued his orders through one of the other pigs, usually Squealer.
One Sunday morning Squealer announced that the hens, who had just come in to lay again, must surrender their eggs.
Napoleon had accepted, through Whymper, a contract for four hundred eggs a week.
The price of these would pay for enough grain and meal to keep the farm going till summer came on and conditions were easier.
When the hens heard this, they raised a terrible outcry.
They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary, but had not believed that it would really happen.
They were just getting their clutches ready for the spring sitting, and they protested that to take the eggs away now was murder.
For the first time since the expulsion of Jones, there was something resembling a rebellion.
Led by three young Black Minorca pullets, the hens made a determined effort to thwart Napoleon's wishes.
Their method was to fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs, which smashed to pieces on the floor.
Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly.
He ordered the hens' rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death.
The dogs saw to it that these orders were carried out.
For five days the hens held out, then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes.
Nine hens had died in the meantime.
Their bodies were buried in the orchard, and it was given out that they had died of coccidiosis.
Whymper heard nothing of this affair, and the eggs were duly delivered, a grocer's van driving up to the farm once a week to take them away.
translation
- 然而，到了 1 月底，情况变得很明显，有必要从某个地方再采购一些粮食了。
- 在这些日子里，拿破仑很少公开露面，而是把所有时间都花在庄主院里。那院子的每扇门都由模样凶猛的狗把守着。
- 若他真的露面了，那也是一副威风凛凛的样子，由六条狗组成的护卫队紧紧簇拥着他，要是谁靠得太近，它们便会咆哮起来。
- 很多时候，他甚至连星期天上午也不露面，而是通过其他某头猪，通常是斯奎拉，来传达他的命令。
- 一个星期天上午，斯奎拉宣布，那些刚刚又开始下蛋的母鸡，必须把鸡蛋交上去。
- 拿破仑已经通过温珀接受了一份每周四百个鸡蛋的合同。
- 这些鸡蛋换来的钱可以购买足够的谷物及饲料，让农场维持运转，一直到夏天来临，那时情况就会好一些了。
- 母鸡们听到这个消息后，发出了一阵可怕的抗议声。
- 之前它们就得到过警告，说可能有必要做出这种牺牲，可它们当时并不相信这真的会发生。
- 它们刚刚为春季孵蛋做好准备，因而抗议说现在把鸡蛋拿走无异于谋杀。
- 自琼斯被赶走以来，头一回发生了类似造反的事。
- 在三只年轻的黑色米诺卡小母鸡的带领下，母鸡们下定决心要挫败拿破仑的意图。
- 它们的办法是飞到房梁上去，在那儿下蛋，结果鸡蛋掉到地上摔得粉碎。
- 拿破仑迅速且冷酷地采取了行动。
- 他下令停止给母鸡发放口粮，并规定，任何动物要是给母鸡哪怕一粒谷物，都将被处以死刑。
- 那些狗负责确保这些命令得到执行。
- 母鸡们坚持了五天，之后它们投降了，重新回到了自己的鸡窝里。
- 其间有九只母鸡死去。
- 它们的尸体被埋在了果园里，对外宣称它们死于球虫病。
- 温珀对这件事一无所知，鸡蛋按时交付，每周都会有一辆食品杂货店的货车开到农场来把鸡蛋运走。
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "towards",
"trans": [
"prep. 接近，将近（某一时间）；向，朝着；接近达到（目的）；接近，靠近（某地）；对，关于；（钱）用于"
],
"usphone": "'tɔːrdz'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "procure",
"trans": [
"v. <正式>（设法） 获得，取得；为（某人）拉皮条，给（某人）做淫媒；<法律>说服，使（某人）做某事；<古>导致"
],
"usphone": "'prəˈkjʊr'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "ceremonial",
"trans": [
"adj. （职务）礼仪性的，象征性的；仪式的，礼节的；",
"n. 仪式，典礼，礼节"
],
"usphone": "'ˌserɪˈmoʊniəl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "manner",
"trans": [
"n. 态度，举止；礼貌；方式；（文学或艺术的）风格；习俗；<正式>种类；（语法）方式状语，方式副词"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmænər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "escort",
"trans": [
"n. 护送者，护卫队，护航舰；（通常指异性的）社交聚会陪伴者，伴游；陪护，护送",
"v. 押送；护送，护卫"
],
"usphone": "'ˈeskɔːrt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "frequently",
"trans": [
"adv. 经常地，频繁地"
],
"usphone": "'ˈfriːkwəntli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "surrender",
"trans": [
"v. 交出；投降；",
"n. 交出；投降；屈服；屈从"
],
"usphone": "'səˈrendər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "outcry",
"trans": [
"n. 强烈抗议；大声疾呼；尖叫；倒彩"
],
"usphone": "'ˈaʊtkraɪ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "sacrifice",
"trans": [
"v. 牺牲；献出；以（人或动物）作祭献",
"n. 牺牲；祭祀；祭品；祭献"
],
"usphone": "'ˈsækrɪfaɪs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "clutch",
"trans": [
"n. 一窝（蛋）；离合器踏板；一小群，一小簇；势力范围，控制；紧握，紧抓；<美>女式无带手提包",
"v. 紧握，紧抓；（因害怕或痛苦）突然抓住",
"adj. 关键性的；（尤指体育比赛中）在关键时刻表现良好的"
],
"usphone": "'klʌtʃ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "protest",
"trans": [
"v. 抗议；（公开）反对；坚决地表示；申辩",
"n. 抗议；反对；抗议书（或行动）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈproʊtest'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "murder",
"trans": [
"n. 谋杀，凶杀；<非正式>困难的事，讨厌的事；一群乌鸦",
"v. 谋杀，凶杀；糟蹋，毁坏；<非正式>彻底击败；<非正式>对……大发雷霆；<非正式>贪婪地吃（或喝）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmɜːrdər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "expulsion",
"trans": [
"n. 驱逐；开除"
],
"usphone": "'ɪkˈspʌlʃn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "resembling",
"trans": [
"v. 像，与……相似（****** 的现在分词）"
],
"usphone": "'rɪˈzemblɪŋ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "pullet",
"trans": [
"n. （尤指未满一岁的）小母鸡"
],
"usphone": "'ˈpʊlɪt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "effort to",
"trans": [
"为了做某事而付出的努力：指为了达成某个目标而付出的努力和行动。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "thwart",
"trans": [
"v. 反对，阻挠，挫败；横过",
"n. （划艇上的）横坐板",
"adj. 横放的；固执的",
"adv. <古，文>横跨（地）"
"prep. <古，文>横跨（地）"
],
"usphone": "'θwɔːrt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "rafter",
"trans": [
"n. 椽；筏夫（等于 raftsman）",
"vt. 装椽于"
],
"usphone": "'ˈræftər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "smashed to pieces",
"trans": [
"粉碎成碎片：指物体被破坏得非常严重，变成了许多小碎片。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "ruthlessly",
"trans": [
"adv. 无情地；残忍地；冷酷地"
],
"usphone": "'ruthlessly'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "decreed",
"trans": [
"adj. 任命的",
"v. 颁布法令（***** 的过去式）"
],
"usphone": "'dɪˈkriːd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "so much as",
"trans": [
"即使稍微；甚至只是"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "see to it",
"trans": [
"留意必定做……"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "carried out",
"trans": [
"完成或执行某项任务、计划或行动：指成功地完成或执行某项任务、计划或行动。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "held out",
"trans": [
"坚持，维持，支撑，或者拿出，伸出：尽管情况困难，他们仍然坚持对更美好未来的希望。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "capitulate",
"trans": [
"vi. 认输，屈服；屈从，停止反抗；有条件投降；让步"
],
"usphone": "'kəˈpɪtʃuleɪt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "coccidiosis",
"trans": [
"n. [内科] 球虫病"
],
"usphone": "'kɑːkˌsɪdiˈoʊsɪs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "van",
"trans": [
"n. （厢式）小型货车；<美>面包车；<英>（铁路上运送包裹、邮件等的）车厢；<英>拖车；先锋",
"v. 用车搬运"
],
"usphone": "'væn'",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]