【课文】
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!
BERNARD NEWMAN Spies in Britain
【New words and expressions 生词和短语】
espionage n. 间谍活动
Alfred 公元871-899 年间任英国国王
Danish adj. 丹麦的，丹麦人的，丹麦语的
minstrel n. 中世纪的吟游歌手
wandering adj. 漫游的
harp n. 坚琴
ballad n. 民歌
acrobatic adj. 杂技的
conjuring n. 魔术
Athelney n. 阿塞尔纳(英国一个小岛)
Chippenham n. 切本哈姆(英国一个城市)
thither adv. 向那里
Dane n. 丹麦人
slack adj. 涣散的
conqueror n. 征服者
casual adj. 马虎的，随便的
precaution n. 预防，警惕
proceeds n. 所得
assemble v. 集合
trivial adj. 微不足道的
prolonged adj. 持久的
commissariat n. 军粮供应
harry v. 骚扰
assail v. 袭击
skirmish n. 小规模战斗
episode n. 一个事件，片断
epic n. 史诗
【课文注释】
1. penetrate，渗透，潜入，领悟。
①渗透，渗入某物
例句：The heavy rain had penetrated right through her coat.
大雨湿透了她的大衣。
②(人员)渗入对方
例句：The party has been penetrated by extremists.
有些极端分子已打入该党。
③ 被充分理解或领悟
例句：I explained the problem to him several times but it didn"t seem to penetrate.
那问题我向他解释多次，他似无所悟。
2. act as，担任，充当。
If someone or something acts as a particular thing, they have that role or function.
例句：I must find someone to act as a deputy for me during my absence.
我必须找一个人，在我离开期间代理我的职务。
3. disguised as，伪装成。
a man disguised as...表示伪装成……的人;
a...in disguise表示本质是……但伪装成其它的人。
例句：The raiders disguised themselves as security guards.
袭击者都装扮成了保安人员。
例句：The supposed beggar was really a police officer in disguise.
那个众人眼中的乞丐，其实是化了装的警察。
4. settle down，安定，驻扎。
When someone settles down, they start living a quiet life in one place, especially when they get married or buy a house.
例句：At 30 we need to settle down to our lives and shed from fantasies.
30岁时，我们需要安定下来，丢掉幻想。
5. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids，他们的生活舒适，靠袭击(周围地区)掠夺得到的财物为生。
live on=live off，靠……为生。
例句：If you live on a mountain, you live off the mountain; if you live by the water, you live off the water.
靠山吃山，靠水吃水。
6. proceeds n. 收入;
proceed v. 进行下去;
proceedings n. 诉讼，进程。
例句：Proceeds from the concert will go to charity.
音乐会的收入将捐赠给慈善事业。
例句：Shall we proceed with the planned investment?
我们着手进行有计划的投资好吗?
例句：The workers decided to take judicial proceedings against the company.
工人们决定对公司正式提起诉讼。
7. be fit for，适宜于……。
例句：He"s been ill and isn"t fit for work yet.
他一直在生病，尚不能工作。
【参考译文】
阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦军队的营地里侦察。当时，浪迹天涯的吟游歌手到处受欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。阿尔弗德年轻时学过许多民歌，并能穿插演一些杂技和小魔术使自己的节目多样化。
阿尔弗雷德人数不多的军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦入侵司令官古瑟罗姆的营地。丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营准备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。他马上发现丹麦军纪律松弛，他们以征服者自居，安全措施马马虎虎。他们靠掠夺附近的地区的财物过着舒适的生活。他们不仅搜刮吃的喝的，而且抢掠妇女，安逸的生活已使丹麦军队变得软弱无力。
阿尔弗雷德在敌营呆了一个星期后，回到了阿塞尔纳。他集结在那里的军队和丹麦大军相比是微不足道的，然而，阿尔弗雷德断定，丹麦人已不再适应持久的战争，他们的军需供应处于无组织状态，只是靠临时抢夺来维持。
因此，面对丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有贸然同敌人作战，而是采用骚扰敌人的战术。他的部队不停地移动，牵着敌人的鼻子，让他们跟着跑。他派出巡逻队阻止敌人抢劫，因而饥饿威胁着丹麦军队。这时，阿尔弗雷德发起一连串小规模的进攻，结果不出一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这一幕历史可以说是王室谍报活动中最精彩的篇章。
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