Animal Farm
Chapter 9
Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter.
Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs.
A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism.
In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were not in reality short of food, whatever the appearances might be.
For the time being, certainly, it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Squealer always spoke of it as a “readjustment,” never as a “reduction”), but in comparison with the days of Jones, the improvement was enormous.
Reading out the figures in a shrill, rapid voice, he proved to them in detail that they had more oats, more hay, more turnips than they had had in Jones's day, that they worked shorter hours, that their drinking water was of better quality, that they lived longer, that a larger proportion of their young ones survived infancy, and that they had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas.
The animals believed every word of it.
Truth to tell, Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories.
They knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare, that they were often hungry and often cold, and that they were usually working when they were not asleep.
But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. They were glad to believe so.
Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out.
translation
- 与此同时，生活依然艰难。冬天和去年一样寒冷，食物更加短缺。
- 所有的口粮再次被削减，唯独猪和狗的口粮未被减少。
- 斯奎拉解释说，在口粮分配上实行过于严格的平等，违反了动物主义的原则。
- 无论表面情况如何，他总能轻松地让其他动物相信，他们实际上并不缺粮。
- 目前来说，确实有必要对口粮进行一次调整（斯奎拉总是称之为‘调整’，从不说是‘削减’），但与琼斯时代相比，生活已经有了巨大的改善。
- 他用尖锐而急促的声音念出一连串数字，详细地向他们证明：他们现在比琼斯时代有更多的燕麦、更多的干草、更多的萝卜，工作时间更短，饮用水质量更好，寿命更长，幼崽的成活率更高，棚栏里的稻草更多，身上的跳蚤也少了。
- 动物们相信了他每一句话。
- 说实话，琼斯以及他所代表的一切几乎已经从他们的记忆中淡去了。
- 他们知道如今的生活艰苦而贫乏，常常挨饿受冻，除了睡觉的时候，几乎一直在劳动。
- 但毫无疑问，过去的日子肯定更糟。他们很高兴相信这一点。
- 此外，在那些日子里，他们曾是奴隶，而如今他们是自由的，这一点才是最重要的，正如斯奎拉所不忘强调的那样
vocabulary
[
{
"name": "rigid",
"trans": [
"adj. （方法、体制等）严格死板的，僵化的；（人）顽固的，不通融的；刚硬的，不易弯曲的；（因强烈的感情而）僵硬的，僵直的；精确的",
"n. 未铰接的货车"
],
"usphone": "'ˈrɪdʒɪd'",
"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": "in any case",
"trans": [
"无论如何、无论如何的情况下、或者无论怎样"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "proving",
"trans": [
"n. 证明；检查；校对",
"v. 证明；校对；发酵（**** 的现在分词）"
],
"usphone": "'ˈpruːvɪŋ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "appearance",
"trans": [
"n. 表现；露面，演出；出庭，到场；外表，外观；表面现象，假象；出现；起源，问世；出版，广播"
],
"usphone": "'əˈpɪrəns'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "for the time being",
"trans": [
"暂时地，目前"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "readjustment",
"trans": [
"n. 重新调整；重新适应；再调整"
],
"usphone": "'ˌriːəˈdʒʌstmənt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "improvement",
"trans": [
"n. 改善；改进之处"
],
"usphone": "'ɪmˈpruːvmənt'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "enormous",
"trans": [
"adj. 巨大的，极大的；<古>凶暴的，极恶的"
],
"usphone": "'ɪˈnɔːrməs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "shrill",
"trans": [
"adj. 刺耳的；尖声的；尖厉的；闹着非要…不可的",
"v. 发出刺耳的声音；尖叫；尖声说",
"n. 尖锐的声音"
],
"usphone": "'ʃrɪl'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "turnip",
"trans": [
"n. 芜菁，萝卜；芜菁块根，芜菁甘蓝块根；类芜菁甘蓝块根；<非正式>大而厚的老式表"
],
"usphone": "'ˈtɜːrnɪp'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "flea",
"trans": [
"n. 跳蚤"
],
"usphone": "'fliː'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "truth to tell",
"trans": [
"说实话"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "stand for",
"trans": [
"代表，象征",
"忍耐；忍受；主张；拥护"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "fade",
"trans": [
"v. 逐渐消失；（使）褪色，（使）变暗；枯萎，凋谢；变得虚弱；退步；（车辆的刹车因摩擦发热而）暂时失灵；（使）（电影或电视画面）淡入（或淡出）另一画面；变得默默无闻，变得无关紧要；（高尔夫球）偏离直线；<美，非正式>接受（掷骰子者）的打赌",
"n. 淡入，淡出；褪色，变暗；（高尔夫球运动员故意击出的）向右偏离球",
"adj. 平淡的，乏味的"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "harsh",
"trans": [
"adj. （环境）恶劣的，艰苦的；严厉的，残酷的；刺耳的，难听的；刺眼的，耀眼的；丑陋的；刺激性强的，太强力的"
],
"usphone": "'hɑːrʃ'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "doubtless",
"trans": [
"adv. 无疑地，肯定地",
"adj. 无疑的，肯定的"
],
"usphone": "'ˈdaʊtləs'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "glad",
"trans": [
"adj. 乐意的，非常愿意的；高兴的；感激的；令人愉快的，充满欢乐的",
"v. <古>取悦，使高兴",
"n. <非正式>唐菖蒲属植物，唐菖蒲"
],
"usphone": "'ɡlæd'",
"ukphone": "''"
},
{
"name": "made all the difference",
"trans": [
"起决定性作用：非常重要；最重要的事情。"
],
"usphone": "''",
"ukphone": "''"
}
]