1-0-0-3 Chapter 1-3

【點此下載上課解說mp3檔】

Chapter 1-3
    The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on. Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones’s trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with. Last of all came the cat, who looked round, as usual, for the warmest place, and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major’s speech without listening to a word of what he was saying. 

單字及片語
lain (v.)(lie的過去分詞) 躺下
※a brood of (ph.) 一窩(群)的
duckling (n.) 小鴨
file (v.) 排成縱隊行進
barn (n.)穀倉
cheeping(a.)吱吱叫
feebly (adv.)很微弱地
wander (v.)漫遊
trodden (v.)(trod的過去分詞)踩
※a sort of (ph.)有點像…
foreleg (n.)前腳
※nestled down (ph.)很舒適的安頓下來
promptly(adv.)很快地
※fall asleep(ph.)睡著
※at the last moment (ph.)最後一刻
mare (n.)母馬
trap (n.)輕型二輪馬車
mince (v.)嬌柔做作
daintily (adv.)優雅地
chew (v.)咀嚼
※a lump of (ph.) 一塊…
flirt (v.)晃動
mane (n.)馬鬃
※draw attention to (ph.)吸引對…注意力
ribbon (n.)緞帶
plait (v.)編成辮子
※as usual (ph.)一如往常
squeeze (v.)擠
purr (v.) (貓等滿足時)嗚嗚的叫聲
contentedly (adv.) 滿足地;安心地
throughout (prep.)貫穿;從頭到尾
speech (n.)演講

    All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back door. When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:

‘Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But I will come to the dream later. I have something else to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living. It is about this that I wish to speak to you.

單字及片語
present (v.)出席的;在場的
tame (a.)溫順的;馴良的;聽使喚的
raven (n.)烏鴉
perch (n.)棲息
attentively (adv.)聚精會神地
comrade (n.)同志
※come to (ph.)談及
※pass on to (ph.)傳承
wisdom (n.)智慧
acquire (v.)得到
stall (n.) (牲畜的)欄;廄;棚

‘Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

單字及片語
face (v.)面對
miserable (n.)悽慘的
laborious (a.)費力的;吃力的
※keep the breath in our bodies (ph.)免強為生
capable (a.)有能力的
atom (n.)微量;一點兒
strength (n.)力量;力氣
※the very instant (ph.)就在這刻來臨時
very (a.)就在
instant (n.)頃刻;一剎那
usefulness (n.)有用;有益;有效
※come to an end (ph.)結束
slaughter (v.)宰殺;屠宰
hideous (a.)駭人聽聞的
cruelty (n.)殘酷;殘忍
meaning (n.)意義
happiness (n.)幸福
leisure (n.)休閒
misery (n.)痛苦;不幸;悲慘;窮困;苦難
slavery (n.)奴隸般的勞動;苦役