--- url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/09-royal-espionage.md description: 新概念英语第四册：Royal Espionage。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。 --- # 09 · 王室谍报活动 ### 第1段 Alfred the Great acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring. While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft. Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids. So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes—and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage! 中文理解：阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍，装扮成吟游歌手，前往丹麦人的军营。那个年代，流浪的吟游歌手到处都受欢迎。他们不是战士，手中的竖琴就是通行证。阿尔弗雷德年轻时学过许多民谣，还能在节目中穿插杂技和简单的魔术，让表演更丰富。 阿尔弗雷德的小股军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，国王本人已动身潜入丹麦入侵军统帅古什鲁姆的营地。丹麦人已在奇彭纳姆驻扎过冬，阿尔弗雷德便去了那里。他立刻发现，营中纪律松懈：丹麦人自恃征服者，安全防范十分随便。他们靠劫掠周边地区过着优裕的生活，抢来食物、酒水，也掳走妇女。安逸的日子使他们变得懈怠。 阿尔弗雷德在敌营待了一个星期，才返回阿塞尔纳。那里集结的兵力与丹麦大军相比，微不足道。但他已经推断出，丹麦人不再适合打持久战；他们的军需供应也缺乏组织，只能依靠不定期的劫掠。 于是，面对丹麦军队的推进，阿尔弗雷德没有冒险正面交战，而是不断骚扰敌人。 他始终率军四处转移，引着丹麦人跟在身后。他的巡逻队截住敌人的劫掠队伍，丹麦大军便陷入饥饿。此时，阿尔弗雷德才开始接连发动小规模战斗；不到一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这段经历，足以称得上王室谍报活动中一部独特的史诗！ * **acted as**：充当；描述所扮演角色，不等于act like看起来像。 * **disguised as**：伪装成；as后是伪装的身份，区别于隐藏在何处。 * **in his youth**：在他年轻时；undefined * **vary his programme**：让表演节目多样化；vary可直接接宾语，表示主动改变内容。 * **set out to**：着手去做；to后说明打算完成的任务。 * **security precautions**：安全防范措施；precautions通常用复数，不是事后补救。 * **on the proceeds of**：靠……所得；proceeds指某项活动所得，不是过程。 * **a life of ease**：安逸的生活；ease在这里是安逸，后文与战斗能力形成对照。 * **compared with**：与……相比；undefined * **no longer fit for**：不再适合；是否适合依目的判断，不仅说体能。 * **depended on**：依赖；说明依赖条件，后接名词或how、whether等内容。 * **risk open battle**：冒险正面交战；risk后接doing，不用risk to do。 * **on the move**：不断转移；文中是持续机动作战，不是重新开始移动。 * **raiding parties**：劫掠队伍；undefined * **a long series of**：一连串的；undefined * **serve as**：成为；用作；指可起的作用或可作的事例。 #### Alfred the Great acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. 简单句，主谓宾结构，后面有一个现在分词短语和一个过去分词短语，两个均作状语，visiting…camps 可以理解成作伴随状语，修饰 acted 这一动作；disguised…minstrel 则作方式状语，修饰 visiting. Alfred the Great (849-899)，建议搜索了解大帝的生平. #### In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. 简单句，主谓结构. #### They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. 并列句，均为主系表结构. #### Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring. 并列句，均为主谓宾结构. #### While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. 复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，while 引导的时间状语从句亦为主谓宾结构. #### These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. 并列句，前后两个句子，以冒号相隔. 前句为主谓结构，后句有倒装，还原为 Alfred went thither. 也是主谓结构. #### He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. 复合句，前后两个句子，以冒号相隔. 第一句为主谓+宾语从句结构，宾语从句为主系表结构. 冒号后面的句子为并列句，由两个句子组成，第一句为主谓宾结构，第二句为主系表结构. #### They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. 简单句，They 是主语，lived 是谓语，well 表示“生活得好”；on the proceeds of raids…说明生活来源，意为“靠劫掠所得生活”。介词 on 在这里并不表示地点；live on sth 可表达“靠某物维生”，即使 well 或逗号插在中间，这一来源关系仍然成立。 #### There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft. 并列句，前句为主谓宾结构，后句为主谓宾+宾补结构. #### Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. 复合句，主句为主谓结构，before 引导的时间状语从句亦为主谓结构. 这里网上有人认为句中 a week 不等于 for a week，因此不应理解为“在 camp 待了一周”，而是“在他回到阿塞尔纳的一周前，阿尔弗雷德一直待在敌营”. 这里似乎缺少了 for，但毕竟这里涉及史实，我查了别的书籍，全都写的是待了几 #### The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. 简单句，主系表结构. #### But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids. 复合句，以冒号分为两句，第一句为主谓+宾语从句结构，宾语从句为主系表结构. and 后面是省略了主语和谓语 Alfred had deduced 的宾语从句，这里的冒号可以理解成分号. 该宾语从句为并列句，以 but 相连，均为主谓宾结构，只不过 but 后面这句省略了主语 their commissariat. 这里 irregular 修饰 raids，表示劫掠行动没有固定规律、零散而缺乏组织，不宜从“非正规军”的词义推导成某一种具体的抢掠顺序。 #### So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. 并列句，以 but 连接，两句均为主谓宾结构，第二句省略了主语 Alfred. #### He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. 简单句，主系表结构，后面跟一个现在分词作伴随状语. #### His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. 并列句，两句由冒号分开，前后两句均为主谓宾结构. #### Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes—and within a month the Danes had surrendered. 并列句，首句主谓宾结构，and 后句为主谓结构. #### The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage! 简单句，主谓宾结构. 翻译的时候，将 episode 放在了最后. #### 原稿改写示例与时长表达 原稿另举含 singing、playing、watching and listening 的改写来说明伴随动作；这些细节不是本课对应原句里的信息。 本课原句说 Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned…：先交代在营中的停留，再说返回。复述时可保留一周的时长，不必把原稿改写当作新的事实。 #### 原稿资料出处 \[1] Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall. Our Island Story: A History of Britain. Chapter 17. ## 学完这一课 用两个简短补充交代一次行动的方式与身份。 [Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/) *译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第39—42页，2022年2月第2版。*