Lesson 9 Royal espionage王室谍报活动

First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后答复以下问题。
What important thing did King Alfred learn when he penetrated the Danish camp of Guthrum?

Alfred the Great acted 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.
阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲身充任特务。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦戎行的营地里侦查。其时，浪迹天涯的吟游歌手处处受欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴便是他们的通行证。阿尔弗德年轻时学过许多民歌，并能交叉演一些杂技和小戏法使自己的节目多样化。

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. There 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.
阿尔弗雷德人数不多的戎行开端在阿塞尔纳渐渐集结时，他亲身潜入丹麦侵略司令官古瑟罗姆的营地。丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营预备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。 他立刻发现丹麦军纪律松懈，他们以征服者自居，安全措施敷衍了事。他们靠掠取邻近的区域的资产过着舒适的日子。他们不只搜刮吃的喝的，并且抢掠妇女，闲适 的日子已使丹麦戎行变得软弱无力。

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.
阿尔弗雷德在敌营呆了一个星期后，回到了阿塞尔纳。他集结在那里的戎行和丹麦大军比较是微乎其微的，但是，阿尔弗雷德判定，丹麦人已不再习惯耐久的战役，他们的军需供给处于无安排状况，仅仅靠暂时抢夺来保持。

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!
因此，面临丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有轻率同敌人作战，而是选用打扰敌人的战术。他的部队不停地移动，牵着敌人的鼻子，让他们跟着跑。他派出巡逻队阻挠 敌人掠取，因此饥饿要挟着丹麦戎行。这时，阿尔弗雷德建议一连串小规模的进攻，成果不出一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这一幕前史可以说是王室谍报活动中最精彩的华章。

New words and expressions 生词和短语
espionage
n. 特务活动

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. 周游的

harp
n. 坚琴

ballad
n. 民歌

acrobatic
adj. 杂技的

conjuring
n. 戏法

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. 松散的

conqueror
n. 征服者

casual
adj. 大意的，随意的

precaution
n. 防备，警觉

proceeds
n. 所得

assemble
v. 调集

trivial
adj. 微乎其微的

prolonged
adj. 耐久的

commissariat
n. 军粮供给

episode
n. 一个事情，片断

epic
n. 史诗

harry
v. 打扰

assail
v. 突击

skirmish
n. 小规模战役

Notes on the text课文注释
1 srttle down,驻守。
2 They lived well,on the proceeds of raids, 他们的日子舒适，靠突击（周围区域）掠取得到的资产为主。live on,靠为生。
3 be fit for,适宜于...

Lesson 9 课后练习和答案Exercises and Answer