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到欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。阿尔弗雷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。

当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，阿尔弗雷德便来到此地。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，让他们跟着他跑。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。

Comprehension理解

Give short answers to these questions in your own words as far as possible．Use one complete sentence for each answer.

1Give two reasons why it was easy for Alfred the Great to penetrate the Danish camp.

2Explain briefly how Alfred defeated the Danes.

Vocabulary词汇

Refer to the text to see how the following words have been used, then write sentences of your own using these words: disguised (1.1); thither (1.7); slack (1.7); security precautions (1.8); proceeds (1.8); trivial (1.11); harried (1.14); assailed (1.15); skirmishes (1.16); unique (1.17).

The paragraph段落

ASuggest a suitable title for this passage.

BWhich of the following statements are correct:

1In Alfred's time it was easy for a minstrel to gain access to an enemy camp.

2Guthrum was the place where the Danish invaders had their camp.

3Alfred defeated the Danes because he had a large army.

4During the English attack, the Danes found it difficult to obtain food．

CThe following sentences have been taken from the second paragraph (11．5-12)．Arrange them in their correct order．Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:

1He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual.

2These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went.

3There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.

4While 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.

5They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions.

Key structures关键句型

ANote how we can use a lot of in place of many (of) and much (of):

Instead of saying: Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth．(1.3)

We can say: Alfred had learned a lot of their ballads in his youth.

Write these sentences again using much (of) or many (of) in place of a lot of:

1There were a lot of people present at the reception.

2I haven't got a lot of books.

3I haven't brought a lot of luggage with me.

4A lot of the machinery in this factory is out of date.

5A lot of the shops in this area close on Wednesday afternoon.

BPut the words in parentheses in their correct position in these sentences．Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:

1He noticed that discipline was slack．(at once) (1.7)

2They lived on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions．(well) (11.8-9)

3But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were fit for prolonged battle．(no longer) (11.12-13)

CNote how as well as can be used to mean in addition to:

There they collected women as well as food and drink．(1.9)

Write two senteces using as well as in the same way.

DCompare these two sentences:

Instead of saying: Their commissariat had no organization．(1.13)

We can say: Their commissariat hadn't any organization.

Supply suitable compounds with no or any in the following:

1____ called while you were out.

2Did you go ____last night?

3Haven't you got ____to do?

4He said he knew ____about it.

5I don't know ____by that name.

EGive the correct form of the verbs in parentheses．Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:

So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred not ____(risk) open battle but ____(harry) the enemy．He ____(be) constantly on the move, ____(draw) the Danes after him．His patrols ____(halt) the raiding parties: hunger ____(assail) the Danish army．Now Alfred ____(begin) a long series of skirmishes----and within a month the Danes ____(surrender)．(11.14-17)

Special difficulties难点

AStudy the following pairs of words and then write sentences of your own to bring out the difference:

1wandering (11.1-2) ---- wondering

I love wandering around second-hand bookshops.

I'm wondering if we've made a mistake here.

2learned (1.3) ---- taught

I learned to knit when I was eight.

Who taught you how to knit?

3noticed (l.7) ---- remarked

She noticed that several students seemed restless that morning.

He remarked, ‘You look beautiful today.’

4conquerors (1.8) ---- winners

Military victories were celebrated by parading the defeated chiefs and princes in the streets of Rome, in a display of submission to their conquerors.

The Oxford team were the winners in last year's Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

5force (1.11) ---- strength

The captain called together a small force of hand-picked men．(= a group under orders)

The door was opened by force．(= the use of strength)

You need a great deal of strength to be a weight lifter．(=the quality of being strong)

But force and strength are often interchangeable when followed by‘of the’:

The force/the strength of the wind was so great that the roof was blown off.

BExplain the meaning of the verbs and expressions in italics:

1These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham…(11.6-7)

2Have you settled your account yet?

3They settled in Australia before the war.

4It's time we settled this question.

5He settled all his property on his wife.

CNote this compound with self:

The Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors．(11.7-8)

Write sentences using the following:

self-assurance; self-denial; self-governing; self-centred．

DExplain the words and expressions in italics:

1The Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle．(11.12-13)

2Does that coat fit you?

3I can't fit all these clothes into this suitcase.

4He may win the race today．He's extremely fit and in good form.

5He wrote that book in a sudden fit of energy.

6It's a good idea, but it doesn't fit in with our plans.

Multiple choice questions多项选择题

Choose the correct answers to the following questions.

Comprehension理解

1Why was it easy for Alfred the Great to visit the Danish camp disguised as a minstrel?

a．Because no one would recognize him.

b．Because he had learned many Danish ballads in his youth.

c．Because minstrels were able to travel freely in those days.

d．Because no one would refuse hospitality to a king.

2At the Chippenham camp, King Alfred took special note of the fact that ____.

a．the camp was easy to penetrate

b．the Danish commander, Guthrum, had a lot of confidence

c．winter was setting in

d．the Danes were unprepared for war

3From what he had seen, Alfred concluded that ____.

a．he would have to stay in the Danish camp for a week

b．his small army was not necessarily a disadvantage

c．the Danes would be dangerous in a prolonged battle

d．the Danes could survive indefinitely on irregular raids

4One of the factors that led to the Danish surrender was that ____.

a．the Danes could no longer depend on irregular raids to obtain food

b．King Alfred engaged in open battle

c．this was a unique epic of royal espionage

d．they surrendered within a month

Structure句型

5Minstrels were not men ____ in battle．(1.2)

a．who fight

b．to fight

c．fighting

d．they fight

6The Danes collected women ____food and drink．(1.9)

a．also

b．both

c．in addition to

d．moreover

7Alfred stayed in the camp a week before ____to Athelney.

a．returning

b．to return

c．to returning

d．return

8So,____ with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle．(1.14)

a．he was faced

b．on being faced

c．he faced

d．in the face

Vocabulary词汇

9Alfred was disguised so no one ____ him．(1.1)

a．recognized

b．understood

c．knew

d．met

10Alfred____ at once that discipline was slack．(1.7)

a．regarded

b．remarked

c．saw

d．attended

11The force there ____was trivial compared with the Danish horde．(11.11-12)

a．gathered

b．picked up

c．constituted

d．picked

12His patrols ____the raiding parties．(1.15)

a．attacked

b．prevented

c．held back

d．put an end to