Royal espionage

原文

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.

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.

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--

译文

阿尔弗雷德大帝亲自充当间谍，化装成吟游诗人潜入丹麦人的营地。在那些日子里，流浪的吟游诗人到处受欢迎。他们不是战士，他们的竖琴便是他们的通行证。阿尔弗雷德在青年时代就学过许多他们的民谣，他还能在节目中穿插杂技和简单的魔术。

当阿尔弗雷德的小军队慢慢在阿塞尔尼集结时，国王本人出发潜入丹麦侵略者指挥官古斯鲁姆的营地。丹麦人已在奇本汉姆安顿下来过冬：阿尔弗雷德就去了那里。他立刻注意到纪律松弛：丹麦人具有征服者的自信，他们的安全防范措施很随意。他们过着优裕的生活，靠着对邻近地区的突袭所得。他们不仅搜集食物和饮料，还搜集女人，悠闲的生活使他们变得软弱。

阿尔弗雷德在营地逗留了一个星期，然后返回阿塞尔尼。那里的军队与丹麦大军相比微不足道。但是阿尔弗雷德推断丹麦人已不再适合持久战斗：他们的军需供应没有组织，依赖于不定期的突袭。

因此，面对丹麦人的推进，阿尔弗雷德没有冒险进行公开战斗，而是骚扰敌人。他不断移动，引诱丹麦人追随他。他的巡逻队阻止了突袭队：饥饿袭击了丹麦军队。现在，阿尔弗雷德开始了一系列的小规模战斗——不到一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这个插曲完全可以作为皇家间谍活动的独特史诗！

--BERNARD NEWMAN Spies in Britain--

词汇表

spy

名词, 动词

英:/spaɪ/

美:/spaɪ/

定义

1. 间谍 - A person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities of others.

例子: The spy gathered intelligence from the enemy camp.

例子: In the story, Alfred acted as a spy to learn about the Danes.

2. 监视 - To observe secretly or watch closely.

例子: He decided to spy on his competitors to gain an advantage.

例子: Governments often spy on potential threats for national security.

近义词

agent: 通常指受雇于政府或组织进行情报工作，更正式且强调专业性，而 'spy' 更侧重秘密行动。

informant: 指提供信息的内部人员，常用于非正式或犯罪语境，而 'spy' 涉及主动收集情报。

snoop: 更口语化，常带有负面含义，强调窥探私人事务，而 'spy' 可用于严肃的战略语境。

反义词:

ally, confidant, defender

用法

常用于军事、间谍或侦探语境中，需注意法律和道德限制；在小说或历史故事中常见，如描述Alfred the Great的行动。

形式:

复数: spies, 过去式: spied, 现在分词: spying

深入解析：关键句型 "Subject + had + past participle"

定义

这个句型是过去完成时的基本结构，用于描述在过去某个时间点之前已经完成的动作。结构为：Subject（主语）+ had（助动词）+ past participle（过去分词）。例如，在文章中如 "Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth"，这表示Alfred在过去某个时间（他的青年时期）之前就已经学会了那些民谣。权威教材如《新概念英语》或《Cambridge Grammar》定义它为表达"过去中的过去"，强调动作的先后顺序，帮助叙述历史事件或故事背景。

用法

此句型常用于叙述过去事件的顺序、背景或原因，尤其在历史文章、故事或回忆中出现。规则是：had 必须与过去分词结合，表示动作在另一个过去动作之前发生。例如，在语法体系中，它链接到时态序列，与一般过去时（如 "Alfred went to the camp"）形成对比，突出事件的先后关系。跨语法点联系：它常与从句结合，如在复杂句中（"Alfred had learned... and could vary..."），或与条件句（如 "By the time he arrived, he had already planned"）相关联。这有助于学生从简单过去时过渡到更复杂的时态系统，构建连贯的叙述。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：混淆过去完成时与一般过去时，例如说 "Alfred learned many ballads before he went" 而非 "Alfred had learned... before he went"，导致时间顺序模糊；另一个常见偏误是错误使用助动词，如说 "Alfred has learned"（现在完成时）代替 "had learned"，这会改变时态。纠正建议：通过分析文章中的例子，学生应练习识别时间线索词如 "before"、"after" 或 "by the time"，并在写作中多用时间线图来规划句子。同时，避免在非正式口语中过度使用，以防显得生硬；确保在叙述性文本中正确放置。

练习

一个额外的例子："By the time the army gathered, Alfred had already deduced the enemy's weakness." 通过这个句子，学生可以尝试替换主语和过去分词，例如 "She had finished her homework before dinner."，并将其应用到类似历史故事中，强化对句型的实际运用。

额外内容

背景知识：过去完成时源于英语的时态演变，起源于古英语的复合时态，在现代英语中用于增强故事的深度。对比分析：与法语的类似结构（如 "avait appris"）不同，英语的更依赖助动词 had，这简化了学习。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生能更好地处理文学或历史文本，如文章中的间谍故事，进而提升阅读和写作的连贯性。

深入解析：关键句型 "Clause + and + Clause"

定义

这个句型使用并列连词 and 连接两个或多个独立分句，形成并列句，表达相等或相关的信息。结构为：Clause（分句）+ and + Clause（分句）。例如，文章中的 "They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport"，这将两个独立的想法连接起来。权威教材如《新概念英语》定义它为简单连接器，用于扩展句子，增加描述性，而《Oxford Grammar》强调它保持句子平衡，突出并列关系。

用法

此句型常用于描述并列事件、特征或原因，在叙述性文章中很常见。规则是：每个分句必须是独立的（有自己的主语和谓语），and 用于添加正面或中性信息，而非转折。语法体系中，它链接到句子连接和并列结构，与其他连词（如 but 为转折）形成对比，帮助学生构建复杂句子。跨语法点联系：它常与名词短语或时态结合，如文章中的过去时分句，过渡到更高级的写作技巧，如列表或段落发展。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：过度使用 and 导致句子过长和啰嗦，例如将多个无关想法连接成一长串；或错误地将非独立分句连接，如 "They were not fighting men and their harp passport"（缺少谓语），这会使句子不完整。另一个偏误是忽略逗号使用，例如在长分句前应加逗号（如 "They were not fighting men, and..."）。纠正建议：学生应练习识别独立分句，通过阅读文章中的例子来区分 and 与 but 的用法，并使用句子分割工具检查是否平衡。同时，在正式写作中，避免链式 and 以保持清晰。

练习

一个额外的例子："Alfred disguised himself as a minstrel, and he entered the camp undetected." 学生可以尝试修改为 "The Danes were confident, and they ignored security."，并在上下文中应用，增强对并列句的灵活性。

额外内容

背景知识：and 作为并列连词源于古英语，常用在口语和书面语中增强流畅性。对比分析：与中文的简单并列不同，英语要求每个分句完整，这强调逻辑性。补充信息：此句型有助于学生在历史叙述中创建生动故事，如文章的间谍情节，进而提高整体表达能力。