Animal Farm
Chapter 8
“Impossible!” cried Napoleon. “We have built the walls far too thick for that. They could not knock it down in a week. Courage, comrades!”
But Benjamin was watching the movements of the men intently. The two with the hammer and the crowbar were drilling a hole near the base of the windmill.
Slowly, and with an air almost of amusement, Benjamin nodded his long muzzle.
“I thought so,” he said. “Do you not see what they are doing? In another moment they are going to pack blasting powder into that hole.”
Terrified, the animals waited. It was impossible now to venture out of the shelter of the buildings.
After a few minutes the men were seen to be running in all directions.
Then there was a deafening roar. The pigeons swirled into the air, and all the animals, except Napoleon, flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces.
When they got up again, a huge cloud of black smoke was hanging where the windmill had been.
Slowly the breeze drifted it away. The windmill had ceased to exist!
translation
- “不可能！” 拿破仑叫道，“我们把墙筑得太厚了，他们根本做不到。他们一个星期也休想把它推倒。同志们，鼓起勇气来！”
- 但本杰明正专注地观察着那些人的举动。那两个拿着锤子和撬棍的人正在风车底部附近钻一个洞。
- 本杰明不紧不慢，脸上几乎带着一丝饶有兴致的神情，点了点自己长长的口鼻。
- “我就知道会这样，” 他说，“你们难道没看到他们在做什么吗？再过一会儿，他们就要往那个洞里装填炸药了。”
- 动物们惊恐万分，只能等待着。现在，它们根本不敢冒险走出建筑物的庇护范围。
- 几分钟后，只见那些人开始四散奔逃。
- 接着传来一声震耳欲聋的巨响。鸽子纷纷扑腾着飞上了天空，除了拿破仑之外，所有的动物都趴倒在地，把脸埋了起来。
- 当它们再次起身时，原本风车所在的地方正弥漫着一大团黑色的烟雾。
- 微风缓缓地吹散了那团烟雾。风车已经不复存在了！
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "intently",
"trans": [
"adv. 专心地；一心一意地；心无旁骛地"
],
"usphone": "'ɪnˈtentli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "hammer",
"trans": [
"n. 锤子，榔头；（拍卖用的）木槌；链球；击铁；音槌；锣锤",
"v. （用锤子）敲击；用力敲打，猛踢；强行灌输，反复强调；（在体育比赛中）使惨败，大败；使（企业）受到打击；严厉批评，指责；（心脏）剧烈跳动；压低（某股票）的价格"
],
"usphone": "'ˈhæmər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "drilling",
"trans": [
"n. 钻孔；训练，教练；演练",
"v. 钻孔；训练（***** 的 ing 形式）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdrɪlɪŋ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "nod",
"trans": [
"v. 上下晃动；打盹，打瞌睡；（足球中）顶（球）；一时疏忽；点头，点头示意",
"n. 点头，点头同意；被选中，得到许可；打盹；摆动"
],
"usphone": "'nɑːd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "muzzle",
"trans": [
"n. 动物的鼻口；枪口，炮口；口套，口络；",
"vt. 使……缄默；给……戴口套；封锁……的言论"
],
"usphone": "'ˈmʌzl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "powder",
"trans": [
"n. 火药，炸药；粉，粉末；扑面粉，美容粉；细雪，粉状雪；",
"v. 往（脸或身体）上搽粉；撒粉（状物）于（表面），以粉（状物）覆盖；使（某物）成粉状；变成粉末"
],
"usphone": "'ˈpaʊdər'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "deafen",
"trans": [
"vt. 使聋；淹没",
"vi. 变聋"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdefn'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "swirl",
"trans": [
"v. （使）打旋，（使）旋动；流传（尤用于新闻报道）；眩晕",
"n. 打旋，旋涡；漩涡状，螺旋形；纷乱"
],
"usphone": "'swɜːrl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "flat on",
"trans": [
"处于水平表面上，而不是在斜坡或山上：指身体或物体位于水平表面上，而不是倾斜的表面或高处。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "belly",
"trans": [
"n. （人或动物的）腹部，肚子；胃，胃口；（物体的）腹状部分；腹部猪肉切；（弦乐器的）面板",
"v. 鼓起，张满"
],
"usphone": "'ˈbeli'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "drift",
"trans": [
"v. 飘；漂移；漂流；缓缓移动",
"n. 趋势；大意；要点；流动"
],
"usphone": "'drɪft'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "cease to exist",
"trans": [
"不复存在；地国法律终止存在；停止存在；"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]