3-0-0-3 Chapter 3-3

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Chapter 3_3
    The pigs had set aside the harness-room as a headquarters for themselves. Here, in the evenings, they studied blacksmithing, carpentering, and other necessary arts from books which they had brought out of the farmhouse. Snowball also busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called Animal Committees. He was indefatigable at this. He formed the Egg Production Committee for the hens, the Clean Tails League for the cows, the Wild Comrades’ Re-education Committee (the object of this was to tame the rats and rabbits), the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep, and various others, besides instituting classes in reading and writing. On the whole, these projects were a failure. The attempt to tame the wild creatures, for instance, broke down almost immediately. They continued to behave very much as before, and when treated with generosity, simply took advantage of it. The cat joined the Re-education Committee and was very active in it for some days. She was seen one day sitting on a roof and talking to some sparrows who were just out of her reach. She was telling them that all animals were now comrades and that any sparrow who chose could come and perch on her paw; but the sparrows kept their distance.

※單字及片語※
set aside (phr.)保留
harness-room (n.)馬具房
headquarters (n.)總部
blacksmithing (n.)打鐵工作
carpentering(n.)木工；做木匠之工作
art (n.)技術
farmhouse (n.)農舍
busy oneself with… (phr.)使自己忙碌於….
organise (v.) 【英】= organize組織
organize…. into… (phr.) 將組織….成為…
Animal Committees 動物委員會
indefatigable (a.)不倦的
form (v.)組成；形成
the Egg Production Committee : 雞蛋生產委員會
the Clean Tails League :尾巴清潔聯盟
the Wild Comrades’  Re-education Committee :野生動物再教育委員會
object (n.)目標
tame (v.)馴服
the Whiter Wool Movement :白化羊毛運動
various (a.)各式不同的
besides (prep.)除了
institute (v.)設立
project (n.)計畫
on the whole (phr.)整體來說
failure (n.)失敗
attempt (n.)企圖；嘗試
creature (n.)動物；生物
break down (phr.)失敗
immediately (adv.)
treat (v.)對待
generosity (n.)慷慨
take advantage of (phr.)利用
active (a.)活躍的
sparrow (n.)麻雀
chose (v.) (choose的過去式)想要；決定；願意
perch (v.) (鳥)飛落,棲息
paw (n.) 腳爪;爪子
distance (n.)距離

    The reading and writing classes, however, were a great success. By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree.

※單字及片語※
the reading and writing classes : 閱讀和寫作課程
success (n.)成功
literate (a.)能讀能寫的
＊illiterate (a.)文盲的
in some degree = to some extent (phr.)在某個程度上
extent (n.) 程度;限度;範圍

    As for the pigs, they could already read and write perfectly. The dogs learned to read fairly well, but were not interested in reading anything except the Seven Commandments. Muriel, the goat, could read somewhat better than the dogs, and sometimes used to read to the others in the evenings from scraps of newspaper which she found on the rubbish heap. Benjamin could read as well as any pig, but never exercised his faculty. So far as he knew, he said, there was nothing worth reading. Clover learnt the whole alphabet, but could not put words together. Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. He would trace out A, B, C, D, in the dust with his great hoof, and then would stand staring at the letters with his ears back, sometimes shaking his forelock, trying with all his might to remember what came next and never succeeding. On several occasions, indeed, he did learn E, F, G, H, but by the time he knew them, it was always discovered that he had forgotten A, B, C, and D. Finally he decided to be content with the first four letters, and used to write them out once or twice every day to refresh his memory. Mollie refused to learn any but the six letters which spelt her own name. She would form these very neatly out of pieces of twig, and would then decorate them with a flower or two and walk round them admiring them.

※單字及片語※
as for (phr.)關於
perfectly (adv.) 完美地
fairly (adv.)相當地 = rather
be interested in + N / Ving (phr.)對….感興趣
except (prep.)除…之外
the Seven Commandments  七戒
somewhat (adv.)有一點
use (v.) 習慣練習…
scrap (n.)碎片
rubbish (n.)垃圾
heap (n.)堆
exercise (v.)使用
faculty (n.)能力
so far as = as far as (phr.) 就….；盡….
so far as he knew : 就他所知
get beyond (phr.)超過
trace (v.) (費力,細心地)寫(字)
dust (n.) 灰塵,塵土
hoof (n.)蹄
＊文法Tips＊：
有關with的用法
① with +工具 : 使用….工具  ex. with his great hoof 用他很大的蹄。
② with… 引導一個片語表示…狀態 ex. with his ears back耳朵往後，表示絞盡腦汁。
forelock (n.) 額髮；額毛
＊lock (n.)一綹頭髮
might (n.)力量
succeed (v.)成功
several (adj.)好幾次的
occasion (n.)場合；機會
discover (v.)發現
be content with (phr.)滿意於…
refresh (v.) 溫習；更新；使恢復
memory (n.) 記憶
refuse (v.)拒絕
but (prep.) (用於any ,nobody, anything等詞後面) 除...以外
form (v.)排列成
neatly (adv.)整齊地；工整地
out of (phr.) 用...(材料)
twig (n.)樹枝
decorate (v.)裝飾
round = around (prep.) 圍繞,環繞
admire (v.)欣賞