1. at your Head Master’s kind invitation
受你们校长的好心邀请
at prep. in accord with, following
Other examples:
at one‘s request 依照/应…的请求
E.g. We came at your mother’s request.
at one‘s disposal 听凭…自由处理,由…做主, 由…随意支配、使用
E.g. I put my car at his disposal.
at one’s command 由…支配; 听…吩咐, 奉…之命
E.g. He offered me all the money at his command.
It was done at the queen’s command.
I’m at your command. 我随时听候您的吩咐。
at one's service 随时供…使用; 随时为…提供服务/效劳
E.g. My car is at your service.
If you need any help, I am at your service. 随时为您服务/效劳；请随时吩咐
at one‘s pleasure: as one wishes or desires 随…的意愿; 随意,请便
E.g. You may go or stay at your pleasure.
at one’s convenience 在…方便时
E.g. Please do it at your convenience.
Please send the goods at your earliest convenience. 从速、尽快
2. Synonyms: disaster, calamity, catastrophe
(referring to an event having fatal or ruinous results “灾难”)
disaster: generally implies great destruction, hardship, or loss of life；
尤指“不可预测的意外事件所造成的灾难或不幸”
(e.g. natural disasters: a great flood or fire, an earthquake; a serious defeat in war; the loss of a large sum of money)
adj. disastrous
calamity: emphasizes distress, grief, or the sense of loss 灾难；不幸事件
E.g. “the heaviest calamity in English history, the break with America” (James George Frazer).
“英国历史上最沉重的灾难，是和美国关系的破裂“ （詹姆斯·乔治·弗雷泽）。
adj. calamitous
catastrophe: especially stresses the sense of a tragic final outcome
指“突然而来造成极大苦难及毁灭的大灾难”或“异常的灾祸”, 含“最终结局无法补偿之意”
adj. catastrophic
3. ups and downs: alternating periods of good and bad fortune or spirits.
高低起伏; 沉浮, 兴衰, 顺逆, 荣枯：好运和坏运（或好心情和坏心情）的交替变换的时期
E.g. With constant ups and downs as well as numerous turns and twists along the range of hills it sits on, Badaling looks very much like a dragon with imposing magnificence.
八达岭高低起伏,曲折绵廷,宛若苍龙,气势磅礴。
The ups and downs of pitch makes speaking Chinese sound like singing.
声调的抑扬起伏使中国人说话像唱歌。
Translate:
邓小平一生中经历过“三落三起” 。
Deng Xiaoping experienced three ups and downs in his life.
我感到很幸运,人生无论得意失意, 总有你相伴在身旁。
I feel lucky to have you that stay together with me through life’s ups and downs.
回首过去的一百年,两国关系跌宕起伏。
The past century has seen ups and downs of the relationship between the two countries.
..在座的有谁能对过去这段时间所发生的事情以及我们国家和家园所发生的巨大改进不充满感激之情？
4. the unmeasured menace of the enemy:
the immense or immeasurable threat or danger of the enemy attack我们受到了敌人的巨大威胁
unmeasured adj.
1) not measured
2) beyond measure; without limits
E.g. The reduced efficiency in feed utilization can produce unmeasured economic losses.
饲料利用率降低可造成了不可估量的经济损失。
Synonyms: unlimited, limitless, boundless, endless, measureless,
immeasurable, infinite, immense, vast
5. lull
n. a relatively calm interval; an interval of lessened activity 暂停，间歇，稍止
E.g. a lull in sales / wind / conversation
Translate:
这只是暴风雨前的暂时平静。 This is just the lull before the storm.
经过两星期的间歇以后，地面战斗又突然爆发了。 Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.
v. 1) cause to sleep or rest 哄睡
E.g. lull someone to sleep
Translate: 我们花了一整夜时间才把婴儿哄睡着。
It took us all night to lull the baby to sleep.
2) make or become calm or less active
使平静，使平息; 消除，缓和
E.g. The sea lulled / was lulled. 海浪平息了.
lull sb.’s fears (suspicious) 消除某人恐惧(猜疑)
Translate: 时间和空间上的远距离有一种奇妙的力量，可以使人的心灵平静。
Great distance in either time or space has wonderful power to lull the human mind.
3) deceive (into trustfulness, etc.)
哄骗; 麻痹（斗志等）
E.g. Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure.
我也不因昨日的成功而满足，因为这是失败的先兆。
Translate: 这会使他们产生一种虚假的安全感。 This will lull them into a false sense of security.
lullaby n. 催眠曲, 摇篮曲
6. turn up
1) make one’s appearance, arrive 露面, 来到
Translate: 我们请她吃饭她都不露面.
We invited her to dinner but she didn't even bother to turn up.
2) be found (东西)被找到
Translate: 我担保你的手表准有一天能找到.
I'm sure your watch will turn up one of these days.
3) happen unexpectedly 出现；发生
Translate: Just look carefully and be patient, and something will turn up.
只要仔细观察,有耐心,你就总会有所收获。
..我想你们大家一定开始对目前的这种局面感到烦躁，因为这种局面已经持续了很久而毫无转机。
..但我们必须学会正确对待这两种情况：不管是短暂激烈的，还是长期艰难的。
Paragraph Analysis
Body of the Speech: Paragraphs 2-5
In this part, Churchill concentrated on the purpose of his speech, i.e. to inspire the people all over the country, men and women, old and young, to maintain the relentless spirit of this nation and to fight for the final victory of this great war.
1. put through
1) make … pass (through…); bring to a successful end 使穿过、通过; 做成
E.g. put the string through the hole in the handle of the brush
put through a number of new laws
put though a business deal 完成一桩交易
2) cause to undergo 使经历；使经受、遭受
E.g. The trainees were put through an exhausting assault course.
受训的队员参加了令人筋疲力尽的突击课程.
Translate: 你让你全家受了不少苦.
You have put your family through much suffering.
3) make a telephone connection for 接通电话线
E.g. Please put me through to 5543322, extension 201.
请给我接5543322转201分机
2. throw one’s mind back to: recollect, recall to mind, bring to memory 想起，把思绪拉到
E.g. Please throw your mind back to 1945, when people all over the world were engaged in a great and cruel war against the Fascists.
Translate: 他的故事使我想起另一个故事。
His story threw my mind back to another.
Synonyms: remember, recall, recollect
(shared meaning: “to bring an image or a thought back to the mind”)
remember系常用词, 指过去的事情仍在记忆中, 不必费劲就能想起: “记住, 记得”
E.g. I can’t remember his name.
recall 指对自己或他人的过去进行有意的回忆: “回忆, 回想; 想起”
E.g. Let me recall what he said.
recollect 含义与 recall 接近, 但较为正式, 指“力图想起久已忘记或稍有点印象的事情”
E.g. Looking at these old photos, he recollected the good old days.
3. Appearances are deceptive / deceitful.
Never judge from appearances.
[谚]外表不可靠; 不可只看表面现象。
Other useful expressions:
You cannot tell from appearances that…
不能凭表象判断…
keep up an appearance 装点门面, 装阔气
E.g. He was badly off, but he managed to keep up appearance.
他虽然穷，但总算保住了体面。
They cannot even keep an appearance of unity.
他们甚至连表面团结都维持不了。
4. imagination makes things out far worse:
what one imagines tends to be worse than reality想象有时候会让事情看起来比实际情况更糟
make out：勉强看出、认出；理解
Translate: 黑暗中我看不清他的表情。
In the darkness I could not make out the expression on his face.
她这个人真怪! 我根本无法了解她。
What a strange person she is ! I can' t make her out at all.
5. address oneself to 对……说，告诉
1) (fml.) make a speech to, speak to
E.g. The president was addressing himself to / addressing the meeting.
2) direct speech or writing to
针对…而说；针对…而写, 论述
E.g. She addressed herself to all of us.
她是针对大家而说的。
3) work at; be busy with 从事于; 致力于
E.g. It’s time we addressed ourselves to the business in hand.
6. never give in except to strong convictions of honour and good sense:
conviction n.
1) very firm and strong belief 坚信；信念
Translate: 我深信自满情绪是我们各种问题的根源.
It's my conviction that complacency is at the root of our troubles.
2) finding a person guilty 判决有罪， 定罪
convict v. find … guilty 宣告有罪
E.g. The criminal was convicted of robbery.
..但对所有人来说，毫无疑问，我们在这段时期所经历的-------我要告诉你们--------从这10个月的经历中所得到的经验就是：绝不屈服，绝不屈服，绝不，绝不，绝不，绝不------屈服于任何东西，不管它是伟大还是渺小，庞大还是细微-------除了对荣誉和机智外，都绝不屈服。
7. our account was closed: we were completely defeated by enemy troops我们的命运似乎终止了
close an account with
与 ...结清帐目、停止交易，在...关闭户头
Would you like to close an account with Citi bank?
open an account with 在...开户头
I opened an account with Midland Bank.
Settle one’s account with
与...结清帐目; (跟某人)算账、将恩怨作一了断, (向某人)报复
Some day I will settle the account with you!
总有一天我要跟你算账的！
8. liquidate
1) pay off / settle (a debt, etc.) 清偿; 偿还
E.g. The government made every effort to stabilize the economy by liquidating the national debt.
政府以清偿国家债务力谋稳定经济。
2) arrange the end of business for (a company) by dividing up its property to pay debts 清理, 清算(公司, 企业的帐目), 停业
E.g. Unfortunately I had to leave my position, as my employer had been forced to liquidate his business due to the worldwide economic adversity.
很不幸地，我不得不离职，因为这一次世界性的经济不景气，使我的雇主不得不结束业务。
3) put an end to; abolish; kill
肃清, 消灭
E.g. Hitler tried to liquidate the Jews in Germany.
希特勒试图全部消灭德国的犹太人。
Translate：这些人很危险, 得马上把他们消灭掉。
These men are dangerous; they must be liquidated immediately.
9. Britain had drawn a sponge across her slate：Britain was completely wiped out.
英国已经输得一无所有了。
draw a sponge across the slate: wipe out the slate with a sponge
slate: （粉笔可在上面写字的）石板，木板
pass a sponge over sth.:
抹去, 勾销; 忘却(嫌隙), 不念(旧恶)
No one had more right than I to pass a ponge across the past.
我比任何人都更有资格不追究过去的事情。
wipe the slate clean
改过自新；重新开始；忘却嫌隙，重归于好
Let's just wipe the slate clean for the new year.
新的一年让我们重新来过吧。
10. stand in the gap: 首当其冲, 独当难局
E.g. At the critical moment of world economic recession, a powerful government is needed to stand in the gap.
11. flinch: move back, shrink from something unpleasant or difficult as in fear or anxiety
退缩；畏缩
E.g. The sight, bloody and black, made Bigger flinch involuntarily and lift his hands to his eye.
那景象--黑乎乎的，血肉模糊--使别格不由自主地向后缩去 ，举起双手捂住眼睛。
Translate：
Kate并不因为快要死去而畏缩，只是不愿离开她所爱的人。
Kate did not flinch at the thought of dying. But she hated the possibility of leaving her beloved ones.
我们不应该惧怕承担生活的责任。
We shouldn't flinch from the responsibilities of life.
12. we have only to persevere to conquer: we have no choice but to hold on until victory comes
persevere v. continue firmly in spite of difficulties 坚忍不拔, 坚持不懈
E.g. Talent is worthless unless you persevere in developing it.
persevering adj. 有恒心的
E.g. He is a persevering student.
他是个有恒心的学生。
perseverance n. 毅力
Paragraph Analysis
Closing Remarks: Paragraphs 6-8
In this concluding part, Churchill reiterated his inspirations by changing a word in a verse of a traditional song.
1. in one’s honor / in honor of
为向...表示敬意, 为纪念, 为庆祝, 为祝贺…
Translate:为大使举办了一个欢送会。
A farewell party was held in honor of the Ambassador.
这座纪念碑是为了纪念革命烈士而树立的。
The monument was built in honor of the revolutionary martyrs.
2. Compare:, compliment
complement n./ v. (something that) completes or makes perfect
E.g. This wine complements the food perfectly.
compliment n. / v. (make) an expression of praise or admiration 恭维；称赞
E.g. They complimented the hostess on the meal she prepared.
3. venture v.
1) be bold enough to say of do sth. that may be opposed or considered foolish
冒昧地说, 大胆地说; 胆敢；大胆进行
E.g. venture an opinion / objection / explanation
敢于表明观点、表示异议、进行辩解
I venture to disagree with you.
I venture to say that… 恕我冒昧地说…
I would venture to say that in the near future the distinction between the sexes will become a historic term. 我敢说…
…, if I may venture to say so. …,恕我冒昧这样说
Translate: 我可以冒昧提个改动意见吗？
May I venture to suggest a change?
我刚试探着开口说话，立刻就遭到他的厉声驳斥。
The moment I ventured to speak, I was at once contradicted with his snap.
2) take a risk
E.g. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
[谚]不入虎穴, 焉得虎子。
The explorers ventured forth to discover new lands. 探险家冒险去发现新地域.
He ventured out into the storm in a thick coat, hat and scarf.
他身穿厚大衣，头戴帽子，系了围巾，冒着暴风雨出去了。
..我们每个人都该感谢上帝能够允许我们参与其中，我们都各负其责，使这段日子在我们人类历史上留下永恒的印迹。
Rhetorical features
Repetition (the title, Paragraph 4)
Metaphor (“draw a sponge across her slate”’, “stood in the gap”, Paragraph 5)
Antonyms
(ups/downs, short/long, triumph/disaster, great/small, large/petty dark, days/great days )
The function these antonyms perform in the speech:
Some of these antonyms (e. g. ups/downs) are used to describe the terrible nature of the war, some of them (e. g. great/small, large/petty) are used to express the determination of the British people to fight on for the final victory, and some of them (e. g. dark days/great days) are used to encourage the audience not to lose hope in the face of difficulties.
Language Appreciation
1.Almost a year has passed since I came down here at your Head Master's kind invitation in order to cheer myself and cheer the hearts of a few of my friends by singing some of our own songs.
2. - but can anyone sitting here this afternoon, this October afternoon, not feel deeply thankful for what has happened in the time that has passed and for the very great improvement in the position of our country and of our home?
3.But we must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough.
4.…as Kipling well says, we must \"…meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same.\"
5.Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps
exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.
6.…and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished.
7.All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.
Translation
The monotonous voice of the movement of the train lulled me to sleep.
火车运行时单调的声音使我昏昏欲睡。
You’re not my roommate, you impostor!
你不是我的室友，你是个骗子。
The army yielded when it was attacked.
军队在受到进攻时投降了。
The child pleaded, but the parents wouldn’t yield.
孩子苦苦哀求，但父母不让步。
Apparently sensitive to criticism, the bull forgot all about the matador and charged at the drunk.
公牛对挑畔显然很敏感，它全然不顾斗牛士，却向醉汉冲去。
At the critical moment of world economic recession, a powerful government is needed to stand in the gap.
在世界经济萧条的关键时刻，需要一个强有力的政府挺身而出。
He used to be a landowner of some account .
他过去是富有的地主。
The company turned her writing skills to good account.
公司利用她的写作技巧来获利。
Jones didn’t flinch once when the nurse cleaned the cut in his leg.
护士为琼斯清洗腿上的伤口时，它毫无畏缩。
The guests were frightened to flinch when the dog was barking at them in front of the fence door.
狗在篱笆门前向客人们狂吠，他们吓得向后缩去。
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