动物农场Animal Farm 第5章(3)

 　　Snowball had made a close study of some back numbers of the 'Farmer and Stockbreeder' which he had found in the farmhouse¹, and was full of plans for innovations and improvements.

　　斯诺鲍曾在庄主院里找到一些过期的《农场主和畜牧业者》杂志，并对此作过深入的研究，装了满脑子的革新和发明设想。

　　He talked learnedly about field drains, silage, and basic slag²,

　　他谈起什么农田排水、什么饲料保鲜、什么碱性炉渣，学究气十足。

　　and had worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to drop their dung directly in the fields, at a different spot every day, to save the labor³ of cartage.

　　他还设计出一个复杂的系统，可以把动物每天在不同地方拉的粪便直接通到地里，以节省运送的劳力。

　　Napoleon produced no schemes of his own, but said quietly that Snowball's would come to nothing, and seemed to be biding⁴ his time.

　　拿破仑自己无所贡献，却拐弯抹角地说斯诺鲍的这些东西最终将会是一场空，看起来他是在走着瞧了。

　　But of all their controversies⁵, none was so bitter as the one that took place over the windmill.

　　但是在他们所有的争吵中，最为激烈的莫过于关于风车一事的争辩。

　　In the long pasture, not far from the farm buildings, there was a small knoll⁶ which was the highest point on the farm.

　　在狭长的大牧场上，离庄园里的窝棚不远的地方，有一座小山包，那是庄园里的制高点。

　　After surveying the ground, Snowball declared that this was just the place for a windmill, which could be made to operate a dynamo and supply the farm with electrical power.

　　斯诺鲍在勘察过那地方之后，宣布说那里是建造风车最合适的地方，这风车可用来带动发电机，从而可为庄园提供电力。

　　This would light the stalls and warm them in winter, and would also run a circular saw, a chaff-cutter, a mangel-slicer, and an electric milking machine.

　　也就可以使窝棚里用上电灯并在冬天取暖，还可以带动圆锯、铡草机、切片机和电动挤奶机。

　　The animals had never heard of anything of this kind before (for the farm was an old-fashioned one and had only the most primitive⁷ machinery).

　　动物们以前还从未听说过任何这类事情（因为这是一座老式的庄园，只有一台非常原始的机器）。

　　And they listened in astonishment⁸ while Snowball conjured⁹ up pictures of fantastic machines

　　当斯诺鲍绘声绘色地描述着那些奇妙的机器的情景时，

　　which would do their work for them while they grazed at their ease in the fields or improved their minds with reading and conversation.

　　说那些机器可以在他们悠闲地在地里吃草时，在他们修养心性而读书或聊天时为他们干活，动物们都听呆了。

1 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

2 slag   

n.熔渣，铁屑，矿渣；v.使变成熔渣，变熔渣

参考例句：

• Millions of tons of slag now go into building roads each year.每年有数百万吨炉渣用于铺路。
• The slag powder had been widely used as the additive in the cement and concrete.矿渣微粉作为水泥混凝土的掺和料已得到广泛应用。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 biding   

v.等待，停留( bide的现在分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临

参考例句：

• He was biding his time. 他正在等待时机。 来自辞典例句
• Applications:used in carbide alloy, diamond tools, biding admixture, high-temperature alloy, rechargeable cell. 用作硬质合金，磁性材料，金刚石工具，高温合金，可充电池等。 来自互联网

5 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

6 knoll   

n.小山，小丘

参考例句：

• Silver had terrible hard work getting up the knoll.对于希尔弗来说，爬上那小山丘真不是件容易事。
• He crawled up a small knoll and surveyed the prospect.他慢腾腾地登上一个小丘，看了看周围的地形。

7 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

8 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

9 conjured   

用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• He conjured them with his dying breath to look after his children. 他临终时恳求他们照顾他的孩子。
• His very funny joke soon conjured my anger away. 他讲了个十分有趣的笑话，使得我的怒气顿消。