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● superiority in the air:空中优势。“so great…”连后面的“that”。all the enemy could put up=all that the enemy could put up:敌方所能发动者。over the invasion beaches:用之于登陆作战的海滩上空者。invasion是“侵入”,与aggression(侵略)不同。侵略是坏事,侵入只指行动的方向,不问行动的是非。德国攻入法国是invasion,联军攻入欧陆也是。
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From midnight three airborne divisions were alighting, the British 6th Airborne Division northeast of Caen to seize bridgeheads over the river between the town and the sea, and two American airborne divisions north of Carentan to assist the seaborne assault on the beaches, and to check the movement of enemy reserves into the Contentin peninsula. Although in places the airborne divisions were more widely scattered than had been intended, the object was in every case achieved.
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● airborne division:空运师。borne是bear(载运)的过去分词。alighting:着陆。人下车或鸟栖止都可以用这个字。此处用过去进行式,有“不断地降落”之意。
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● Caen:法国地名。bridgeheads:桥头堡。over the river:这条河大约是指River Ordon。英国登陆地点是在Caen城的北边,初步目标是占领Caen城;Caen和海岸之间,有河阻隔,故先用空运部队,在河对岸占领桥头堡,直接威胁Caen,并和海岸登陆大军相呼应。
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● two American airborne divisions:该两师的番号是第82和第101两空运师。Carentan也是诺曼第半岛上的一个城市。seaborne:请参看前面airborne的注。
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● check:阻止,抑制。enemy reserves:敌方后备部队。the Contentin peninsula:诺曼第半岛上一块凸出的小半岛。敌方后备部队如开入该处,可影响美军的成败。
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● in places:中国学生喜欢用in some places或in many places,但有时候只说in places就够了。
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● more widely scattered than had been intended:较原定计划散布为广,不能如原定计划那样集中降落。than此处用如relative pronoun,做had been intended的主语。in every case:在每点上,各处统统(完成任务)。
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As dawn came and the ships, great and small, began to file into their prearranged positions for the assault, the scene might almost have been a review. Immediate opposition was limited to an attack by torpedo-boats, which sank a Norwegian destroyer. Even when the naval bombardment began, the reply from the coastal batteries was desultory and ineffective. There was no doubt that we had achieved a tactical surprise.
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● file:单行纵列进行;鱼贯而驶。prearranged positions:预定阵地。for the assault:准备攻击。the scene might almost have been a review:这景象几乎像是在军事检阅。队伍整齐,一切按部就班,几乎不像是在作战,但事实上是在作战,故动词用虚拟语气might have been。
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● Immediate opposition:当前的抵抗(仅限于……)。这句用了被动语态,句法很紧凑,如用主动语态,就要松懈得多。
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● torpedo-boats:鱼雷艇。Norwegian destroyer:挪威驱逐舰。
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● naval bombardment:海军排炮轰击。coastal batteries:海岸炮台。reply:还击。desultory:断续散漫。ineffective:效率很低;不能命中。这句动词是个很简单的was,句子重心在was后面的两个形容词,这两个字定要用得贴切稳妥才好。作文炼字的功夫,往往见之于verb to be后面的两三个形容词。
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● tactical:战术的。一般读者翻起英汉字典,查到“战术的”三个字,恐怕仍旧莫明所以;这时候顶好再翻一本有英文解释的字典,便可获得更进一步的了解。普通英汉字典把strategy解释作“战略”,把tactics解释作“战术”。详言之,strategy着眼于全面战争的胜利,tactics着眼于局部战役胜利。联军横渡海峡在法国西海岸登陆,假如德国事前毫无所知,便可称strategic surprise。但事实上,第二战场之说,在那时已甚嚣尘上,德军在西海岸一带早已结阵而待,故此事已经不成为strategic surprise(此点作者并未明言)。但从1944年6月5日夜间起,联军纷纷出动,机密神速,大举登陆,把德军杀得一个措手不及,这可称为tactical surprise。联军登陆诺曼第,在兵法上虽不算是出奇制胜;但是在军事部署调动方面,确是做到“出敌不意,攻敌无备”这一点的。
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Landing and support craft, with infantry, with tanks, with self-propelled artillery, and a great variety of weapons and engineer demolition teams to deal with the beach obstacles, all formed up into groups and moved towards the beaches. Among them were the D. D. (swimming) tanks, which made their first large-scale appearance in battle. It was still very rough from the bad weather of the day before, and a good many of the swimming tanks foundered on the way.
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● landing craft:登陆艇。support craft:支援或掩护登陆作战的舰艇。注意:craft作舰艇或飞机解时,其复数形式通常不加s。self-propelled artillery:自行(无需车辆拖曳)炮。infantry(步兵)和artillery(炮兵或炮)都是集合名词。
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● engineer:工兵。demolition team:爆破班。beach obstacles:海滩上的障碍物。formed up into groups:结成队伍。
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● D. D. tanks:D. D. 二字为何字之简写不详。唯邱氏恐读者不识此字,已代为注明是swimming tanks(水陆两用战车)。这种战车大规模在战场上出现,这是有史以来第一次。
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● rough:风浪甚大。foundered:浸水沉没。
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Destroyers and gun and rocket batteries mounted on landing-craft pounded the beach defences, while farther to seaward battleships and cruisers kept down the fire of the defending batteries. Ground opposition was slight until the first landing-craft were a mile from the shore, but then mortar and machine-gun fire grew. Surf and the partly submerged obstacles and mines made the landings hazardous, and many craft were wrecked after setting down their troops, but the advance went on.
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● Destroyers:驱逐舰。gun batteries:炮列,排炮。rocket batteries:排列成行的火箭炮。这两种炮都架设(mounted)在登陆艇上。pounded:轰击。
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● farther to seaward:离海岸较远处。战斗舰(battleships)和巡洋舰(cruisers)吃水较深,船上大炮射程较远,作战时以离海岸较远为宜。kept down:压制(对方火力)。
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● Ground opposition:(敌方)地面的抵抗(微弱)。first landing-craft:此处的动词是用复数形式were,故知landing-craft也是复数——“第一批登陆艇”,不是“第一艘登陆艇”。mortar:臼炮。
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● Surf:拍岸巨浪。partly submerged obstacles:一部分浸在水里的障碍物。mines:水雷。这三样东西都使登陆时平添危险(made…hazardous)。setting down:放下,送……上岸。军队登岸之后,很多登陆艇也随即被击毁(wrecked)。船舶损坏,有一个专用的字:shipwreck。
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As soon as the foremost infantry got ashore they dashed forward towards their objectives, and in every case except one made good progress. On “Omaha” beach, northwest of Bayeux, the Vth American Corps ran into severe resistance. By an unlucky chance the enemy defences in this sector had recently been taken over by a complete German division in full strength and on the alert. Our Allies had a very stiff fight all day to make any lodgment at all, and it was not until the 7th that, after losing several thousand men, they were able to force their way inland. Although we did not gain all we sought, and in particular Caen remained firmly in enemy hands, the progress made on the first two days of the assault was judged very satisfactory.
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