argentia bay

Argentia Bay

Argentia Bay

Argentia is a community on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on a flat headland located along the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula on Placentia Bay.

Originally a small fishing village called Little Placentia, the community adopted its present name in 1904 after a silver deposit was located nearby.

Argentia Bay

better known as Placentia Bay, wide inlet of Atlantic Ocean, SE Newfoundland, Canada. Here on the British battleship Prince of Wales the Atlantic Charter was signed on Aug. 14, 1941 by President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The winds of War

The story is a fiction with the main character, Pug Victor Henry being a mid-rank officer who witnesses all the major events during World War II.

Plot: Europe, 1939: the rumblings of war grow to a terrible roar. In America the Henry clan-Navy to the bone-finds itself drawn into the very center of the maelstrom: the father at the right hand of Roosevelt, his oldest son flying over the Pacific, his youngest falling in love in Europe. From conference table to battlefield, from the rise of the Reich to the horror of Pearl Harbor, this is America's great World War II novel, Pulitzer Prize-winner Herman Wouk's classic epic of monumental events-and human courage and passions.

Herman Wouk

American novelist. After graduation from Columbia University, he became a radio scriptwriter. During World War II he served in the United States Navy and began his first novel during off-duty hours at sea. His novels include The Caine Mutiny (1951), a Pulitzer Prize novel of events aboard a naval vessel, The Winds of War (1971) and War and Remembrance (1977).

Bismarck

German battleship of 45 000 tons, completed early in 1940, for operations against British convoys in the North Atlantic. In an en-counter with the British fleet on 24 May, 1940, it sank the British cruiser Hood and damaged the Prince of Wales; the Bismarck was also hit by the guns of the Prince of Wales. The Bismarck was finally sunk on 27 May, 1940

Prince of Wales

British battleship Prince of Wales is the place that the Atlantic Charter was signed on Aug. 14, 1941 by President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

sunk by the Japanese in the South China Sea in December 1941

Additional Background Knowledge

　　 1. Herman Wouk 　　 2. Argentia Bay 　　 3. Bismarck 4 Prince of Wales

Rhetorical Devices

　　 1. sarcasm

　　 2. synecdoche

　　 3. alliteration

　　 4. metonymy

5 Transferred epithet

Special Difficulties

　　 1. paraphrasing some sentences

　　 2. translating some sentences

　　 3. understanding some specific terms

　　 4. the skill of comment writing

Type of literature

A piece of objective desriptionPurpose: to record and reproduce a true picture wit

h opinions and emotions with the author excludedWays of developing: to begin with a brief general

picture, divide the object into parts and organize the detailed description in order of space or time

Questions

　　 1. What was Hopkins' estimate of the situation on the Eastern front? What did the Soviet Union need most? What was Hopkins' stand on the problem of assistance to the Soviet Union?

　　 2. Why did Burne-Wilke invite Henry into his cabin? What was the request from the British? How was the request put to Henry?

　　 3. What was Britain's immediate need? Why did the author consider this need pathetic?

Argentia Bay

Gray peace pervaded the wilderness-ringed Argentia Bay Pervaded:spread to and be perceived in every part of The smell of the kebab pervaded the house.Her song is pervaded by nostalgia for a past age charge, imbue, impregnate, permeate, pervade, saturate, suffuse: These verbs mean

to cause to be filled with a particular mood or tone: an atmosphere charged with excitement; poetry imbued with lyricism; a spirit impregnated with lofty ideals; optimism that permeates a group; letters pervaded with gloom; a play saturated with imagination; a heart suffused with love

Argentia Bay

Wilderness:desolate expanse, waste, uninhabitated land Ring:meaning to make a ring round or surround

Ring the spelling mistakes with red ink

Police ringed the building

An old house ringed with trees Gray peace: figure of speech Argentia Bay was surrounded by a vast expanse of wild uninhabite

d where there was no human activity. The whole place looked gray and it was very quiet there

Argentia Bay

Haze and mist blended all into gray…a tint of green haze: thin mist Fog, mist and haze are all clouds of water vapour at ground level a

nd above. They indicate different degrees of thickness.Fog is the thickest and haze the least thick.Haze also occurs when it is very hot. a heat-haze （热天的薄雾）Smog is an unhealthy mixture of smoke and fog in the air of some industrial cities

synonym

Blend:go well together; cause to mix together

mix, blend, mingle, merge, amalgamate, coalesce, fuse. These verbs mean to put into or come together in one mass so that constituent parts or elements are diffused or commingled

synonym

Mix is the least specific: The cook mixed eggs, flour, and sugar. Greed and charity don't mix. To blend is to mix intimately and harmoniously so that the

components lose their original definition: The clerk blended mocha and java coffee beans. Snow-covered mountains blended into the clouds. Mingle implies combination without loss of individual

characteristics: “Respect was mingled with surprise” “His companions mingled freely and joyously with the natives”

synonym

Merge and amalgamate imply resultant homogeneity:Tradition and innovation are merged in this new composition.Twilight merged into night. “The four sentences of the original are amalgamated into two” Coalesce implies a slow merging: Indigenous peoples and conquerors coalesced into the present-day

population. Fuse emphasizes an enduring union, as that formed by heating metals: “He diffuses a tone and spirit of unity, that blends, and (as it were) fuses,

each into each”

Argentia Bay

Tint of green: shade or slight degree of green color

tint: shade or variety of a colour 色度，颜色的浓淡

Thin smoke and mist mixed making everything look gray

Argentia Bay

Sailors and officers…loudspeaker squawksGo about: move from one place to another, or be in the habit

of doing sthChores: any daily or routine tasks; a daily necessary jobPiping: the sound of a boatswain’s whistle

squawk: (esp. of birds) utter a loud harsh cry (e.g. when hurt or frightened)

Sailors and officers were carrying on their routine duties with whistling and louderspeaker noises in the background

Argentia Bay

But a primeval hush…normal ships noises primeval: of the earliest period of the history of the world, very

ancient primeval forests, i.e. natural forests, where trees have never been cut downbased on instinct rather than reason, as if from the earliest period of the human race

It aroused strange primeval yearnings in him.

Argentia Bay

hush: become silent, quietenHush!He hushed the baby to sleep. The government hushed the affair up to avoid a public outcry.

hush: n. stillness; silencein the hush of the night There was a sudden deathly hush.

hush-hush: adj. (infml.) very secret or confidentialHis job is very hush-hush.

hush-money: n. money paid to prevent sth scandalous from becoming known publicly

Argentia Bay

With the routine chores going on, some noise could be heard on the ships in the bay, but beyond that it was all silent

Peace pervaded—ringed by wilderness—a primeval hush

2

At nine o’clock…like snakeskin

Steam into view: move rapidly into view (driven by the power of steam)

camouflage: way of hiding or disguising soldiers, military equipment, etc., e.g. with paint, netting or leaves, so that they look like part of their surroundings; such a disguise

The polar bear's white fur is a natural camouflage. swirl of sth: swirling movement; twists and curls

Dancers spun in a swirl of skirts

2

Bigger than…that had hit the BismarckIn sight: able to be seenBigger than any other ship present, carrying the guns that had helped sink the Bism

arckAs it steamed past… “God Save the King”The Augusta: the American cruisershatter: cause sth to break suddenly and violently into small pieces

The pot shattered as it hit the floor.The explosion shattered all the windows.This event shattered all my previous ideas.We were totally shattered after the long journey

synonym

break, crack, fracture, burst, split, splinter, shatter, smash. These verbs mean to separate or cause to separate into parts or pieces, either by the sudden application of force or by the pressure of internal stress.

Break is the most general: The window was broken by vandals. I broke my arm when I fell. That delicate ornament will break easily. To crack is to break, often with a sharp snapping sound, without dividing into

parts: I cracked the coffeepot, but it didn't leak. The building's foundation cracked during the earthquake. Fracture applies to a break or crack in a rigid body: She fractured her skull in the accident.

synonym

Burst implies a sudden coming apart, especially from internal pressure, and the dispersion of contents:

The child burst the balloon with a pin. Split refers to a division longitudinally or with the grain: She split the log with an ax. Splinter implies splitting into long, thin, sharp pieces: Repeated blows splintered the door. To shatter is to break into many scattered pieces: The bullet shattered the mirror upon impact. Smash stresses force of blow or impact and suggests complete

destruction: He angrily smashed the vase against the wall.

2

Strike up: to begin to play

The band struck up (a waltz).

Spangle: ~ sth (with sth) cover or decorate sth with spangles or small bright objects like spanglesa dress spangled with tiny silver sequins (small circular shiny disc sewn onto clothing as an ornament)

quarterdeck: 军舰上舷门附近留给舰长使用的）后甲板仪式区 GOD SAVE THE KING

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

Paragraph 3

Pug Henry…Sumner Welles 1) Pug Henry:Victor Pug Henry, a navy captain and presedential aide. He is in a

way the narrator of this story, and the hero of the book The Winds of War 2) awning: canvas or plastic sheet fixed to a wall above a door or window and st

retched out as a protection against rain or sun 雨阳蓬 3) rig: set up (a structure, etc) quickly and / or with makeshift materials

rig up a shelter for the night 4)turret: (on a ship, an aircraft, a fort or a tank) low flat (often revolving) steel st

ructure where the guns are fixed and which protects the gunners a warship armed with twin turrets

5)august: inspiring feelings of respect and awe; majestic and imposing

Paragraph 3_Churchill Churchill was plain to see…gestureing with a big cigar apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plain. The

se adjectives mean readily seen, perceived, or understood: angry for no apparent reason; a clear danger; clear-cut evidence of tampering; distinct fingerprints; evident hostility; manifest pleasure; obvious errors; patent advantages; making my meaning plain. Churchill could be seen clearlly since he was only five hundreds yard away

Paragraph 3

odd: strange; unusual; peculiarWhat an odd man!

She wears rather odd clothes. strange, peculiar, odd, queer, quaint, outlandish, singular,

eccentric, curious. These adjectives describe what deviates from the usual or customary.

Strange refers especially to what is unfamiliar, unknown, or inexplicable: All summer I traveled through strange lands.

Peculiar particularly describes what is distinct from all others: Cloves have a peculiar aromatic odor.

synonym

Something that is odd or queer fails to accord with what is ordinary, usual, or expected; both terms can suggest strangeness or peculiarity:

I find it odd that his name is never mentioned.

“Now, my suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose”

Quaint refers to pleasing or old-fashioned peculiarity:

“the quaint streets of New Orleans, that most foreign of American cities” (Winston Churchill).

synonym

Outlandish suggests alien or bizarre strangeness: The partygoers wore outlandish costumes. Singular describes what is unique or unparalleled; the term

often suggests a quality that arouses curiosity or wonder:Such poise is singular in one so young. Eccentric refers particularly to what is strange and departs

strikingly from the conventional:His musical compositions were innovative but eccentric. Curious suggests strangeness that excites interest:Americans living abroad often acquire a curious hybrid accent

Paragraph 3_President

The president towered over everybody, …resembled him Tower over: much taller than brace: (device that clamps things together or holds and supports them in position)

Roosevelt had to wear steel braces on his legs, because an attack of polio in 1921 had paralyzed him from the waist.

v. support (sth) with a brace

n. wire device worn inside the mouth (esp. by children) for straightening the teethMy daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth.

braces: (US suspenders) straps for holding trousers up, fastened to the waistband at the front and the back and passing over the shoulders a pair of braces

Paragraph 3_President

Clutching: taking hold of with the hand, usually with some force

corps: (a) military force made up of two or more divisions 军，军团one of the technical branches of an army 特种部队

Strongly resembled him: looked very much like himLook likeTake after Roosevelt’s large pink face was self-consciously graveRoosevelt put on a grave expression because the band was playi

ng the national anthem and he knew he was wearing a grave expression

Paragraph 4

The president’s face relaxed:

The president’s expression became less stiff Well! I’ve never heard…and Roosevelt laughted too

My country,' tis of thee,

sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;

land where my fathers died,

land of the pilgrims' pride,

from every mountainside let freedom ring!

Why a joke?

Paragraph 4 The squeal of boatswains’ pipes broke up the dress parade on the cruiser’s deck squeal: high-pitched cry or sound, longer and louder than a squeak (often indicating terr

or or pain)There were squeals of excitement from the children

boatswain: senior seaman on a ship who supervises the crew and is responsible for the ship's equipment

The dress parade: requiring or permitting formal dress, a dress affair, a dress dinner warships:

air-craft carrier: 25,000 - 35000 tons, some with nuclear locomotivehelicopter carrierbattle-ship: 30,000 - 70,000 tons, out-of-date in the second world war, esp. after Japan’s surprise on Pearl Harbourcruiser: 10,000 – 15,000 tons, out-of-date now with destroyers bigger and equipped with misslesdestroyer

Harry Hopkins During the war years, Hopkins acted as FDR's

unofficial emissary to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. He had a major voice in making policy for the vast $50 billion Lend-Lease program, especially regarding supplies for Britain and Russia. Hopkins promoted an aggressive war against Germany and successfully urged Roosevelt to use the Navy to protect convoys before the US entered the war in December 1941. Roosevelt brought him along as advisor at the Big Three conferences at Cairo, Tehran and Casablanca in 1942-43.

Hopkins died in New York City in January 1946, succumbing to a long and debilitating battle with stomach cancer.

Paragraph 1

beckon: to call, order or signal with a movement of the head, hand, etcI could see her beckon (to) me from the other side of the room.

He beckoned me with his finger and the child cam running. Put yourself at Mr. Harry Hopkins’s service

Put: to cause ( a person or animal) to be busy; set to some kind of regular arrangement or work

At one’s service: ready to serve or cooperate with one; ready to obey orders or be used

Do whatever Mr. Harry Hopkins might ask you to do

Paragraph 3

expedite: to make (a plan or arrangement) go fasterWe appealed to the government to expedite the procedure for the rel

ease of the prisoners. Beckoned-- Put yourself at Mr. Harry Hopkins’s service– expedite Aye, aye, Sir: a nautical term, yes Passing from the Augusta to the Prince of Wales…Victor Henry we

nt from America to England and from peace to war(???) It was a shocking jump(???)

Paragraph 3

King’s spick-and-span flagship belonged to a different world than the storm-whipped vessel

spick-and-span: (of a room, house, etc) completely clean and tidy again

Different and various both mean "not the same", but various is used about several things which are not the same. The minister gave various reasons (= a number of different reasons) for the government's decision.This time the minister gave different reasons (= not the same as last time) for the government's decision.

Paragraph 3-appearance

The accommodation ladder was salt-crusted: accommodation ladder: a ladder or stairway hung over a ship’s side

舷梯There was a hard layer of salt on the surface of the accommodation lad

der, showing that it had been through a long sea voyage The camouflage was peeling: the paint which was used in painting t

he camouflage was coming off Even the main battery guns looked pitted and rustybattery: set of guns fixed in a warship or fort ( 排炮 ) Pit: mark with small scarsRusty: coated with rust, as a result of exposure to air moisture

Paragraph 3-appearance

Pug was aghast to see …in the scuppersaghast: suddenly filled with great surprise, fear, and shock scuppers: (usu. plu.) an opening in the side of a ship at the level of the deck (upper floor) t

o allow water to run off it into the sea Droves of bluejackets were doing an animated scrub-downdrove: a crowd of people moving together

droves of sightseersThe tourist came in droves.

bluejacket: an enlisted man in the navy: sailor animate: (rather fml) to give life or excitement to, enliven (the Loons)

Laughter animated his face for a moment.animated: full of spirit and excitement, lively

scrub: to rub hard at (something) in order to clean, eg. with a stiff brushYou'll have to scrub hard to get that stain out

A group of British navymen were cleaning the deck in a spirited way

Paragraph 3 -appearance On the superstructure…sticking plaster for wounds from the Bismark’s

salvossuperstructure: the structural part of a ship above the main deck raw: imperfectly prepared, disagreeable, ugly weld: to unite metallic parts by heating and allowing the metals to flow tog

ether or by hammering or compressing with or without previous heating sticking plaster: an adhesive plaster esp. for closing superficial wounds salvo: a simultaneous discharge of two or more guns in military action or a

s a salute At places on the part above the main deck there were new welds. These

were damages caused by the gunfire of the German battleship Bismarck. The welds looked like sticking plaster put to new wounds

Paragraph 4

Smartly returning the salute in a different British palm-out style

smart: bright, shrewd, witty, clever, neat quartermaster: 军需官 a petty officer who attends to a s

hip's helm, binnacle (a housing for a ship's compass and a lamp 罗经柜 ), and signals, any army officer who provides clothing and subsistence for a body of troops, a military officer in charge of provisions quarterbackquarterdeck,quarterfinalquarterly

Paragraph 4

escort: n. a person or group of persons accompanying another to give protection or as a courtesy, the man who goes on a date with a woman, one or more people, ships, cars, or aircraft, who go or travel with someone or something as a guard or as an honour

The prisoner travelled under police escort.

to go with someone as an escortThe queen was escorted by the directors as she toured the factory.The drunken man was escorted firmly to the door.A group of motorcyclists escorted the presidential limousine

Paragraph 6

Meantime Hopkins had travelled to London and Moscow in a blaze of worldwide newspaper attention

Blaze:(the sudden sharp shooting up of) a bright flameThe fire burned slowly at first, but soon burst into a blaze.In a blaze of anger she shouted: "You unspeakable blackguard! How dare you!"

in a blaze of worldwide newspaper attention: His visit to London and Moscow were widely covered by newspapers all over the world

Hopkins flew to London in late July and arranged with Churchill the date and rendezvous of the conference between Roosevelt and Churchill. Then he took a British flying boat to Moscow to hold talks with Stalin

Paragraph 7

Am I riding over with you?

Am I to take the barge and go over to the Augsta with you?

Paragraph 8

Hopkins had two bags open on his bunk in a small cabin off the wardroom

bunk: a narrow bed that is usu. fixed to the wall (as on a ship or train) wardroom: the space in a warship where the officers live and eat, excep

t for the captain 军官起居室 In one he carefully placed..; in the other he threw…as they came to h

andHe was very careful, very meticulous about official papers but very car

eless about his own things. This throws light on the character of Hopkins

Come to hand: to be found without one’s having to make a special search

Paragraph 8

A bent figure with a gray double-breasted suit flapping loosely on him

flap: to wave (sth. large and soft) or move slowly up and down or backwards and forwards, usu., making a noise The bird flapped its wings.

The sails flapped in the wind What does this sentence indicate?

Paragraph 9

the time of one's life: (colloquial) an experience of great pleasure for one

have the time of one's life: to enjoy oneself greatly

Paragraph 10

cram: to force into a small space, stuffto cram people into a railway carriageHungry children crammed food down their throats.

scrounge : (infml., often derog.) to get sth. without work or payment or by persuading others 乞讨 , ( 向人索取 )

Can I scrounge a cigarette off you?

Paragraph 12 Hopkins pauses, a stack of papers…and pursed his mouth before speaking decisive

ly Stack:an orderly pile or heap purse: to bring (esp. the lips) together in little folds

She purse up her lips with digust. The Russians will hold. But it will be a near thingThe Russians will hold: the Russians will be able to fight onnear thing / close thing: a situation in which something dangerous or very unpleasant i

s only just avoidedThat was a near thing - we almost hit that car!What a near thing that was! My enemies nearly got me.a game, election, risk taken, etc., which comes close to failing before it succeedsWe won, but it was a near thing.

They will barely manage to carry on the fight

Paragraph 12

Hitler’s bitten off a big bite this timeThis time Hitler has attacked a country too big for h

im to conquer; Hitler bas bitten off more than he can chew

He was struggling with the clasp on his suitcase, and Pug gave him a hand

clasp: device for fastening things (eg the ends of a belt or a necklace) together The clasp of my belt is broken

Questions

What was Hopkins' estimate of the situation on the Eastern front? What did the Soviet Union need most? What was Hopkins' stand on the problem of assistance to the Soviet Union?

Paragraph 16

The stern rose high on a swell, then dropped away from under him stern: back end of a ship or boat

standing at/in the stern of the boat rear part of anything, esp. a person's bottom

Move your stern, I want to sit down. swell: slow heaving / lift of the sea with waves that do

not break A wave raised in the tail of the barge high and when

the wave subsided, the tail of the barge dropped down suddenly

Paragraph 16

He lost his balance and toppled into the arms of the coxswain

topple: ~ (over) be unsteady and fallThe pile of books toppled over onto the floor.The explosion toppled the old chimney. a crisis which threatens to topple the government (from power)

Coxswain: man in charge of a ship's rowing-boat and its crew

Paragraph 17

Hopkins staggered inside, settling with a sigh on the cushion

stagger: walk or move unsteadily as if about to fall (from carrying sth. heavy, being weak or drunk, etc)She staggered and fell. He picked up the heavy suitcase and set off with a stagger.

There are a number of verbs which describe abnormal ways of walking.

Shuffle and shamble indicate moving without lifting the feet completely off the ground. Shuffle suggests a slow, tired movement; shamble may be faster and more carelessThe queue of prisoners shuffled towards the door. The beggar shambled past us.

Stagger and stumble suggest unsteady or uncontrolled movement. A person staggers when carrying a heavy load or when drunk. We stumble when we hit our feet against unseen objects.

Waddle is used humorously to describe someone swaying from side to side like a duck because of fatness or while carrying heavy bags.

Hobble and limp describe the uneven movement of someone whose legs are injured. Limp is used especially when only one leg is damaged or stiff.

Paragraph 17

I flopped on my face…ended my misssion over there flop: move or fall clumsily, helplessly or loosely

The pile of books flopped noisily onto the floor.The fish we'd caught flopped around in the bottom of the boat. Her hair flopped (about) over her shoulders.Exhausted, he flopped (down) into the nearest chair

When he boarded the plane, he fell. If he were seriously hurt, he could not have gone on to Moscow and that would have been the end of his mission

Paragraph 17

He glanced at the flawlessly appointed bargeflaw: crack or fault (in an object or in material);

imperfection This vase would be perfect but for a few small flaws in its base. an argument full of flaws a flaw in a contractPride was the greatest flaw in his personality.a flawless complexion a flawless performance

blemish, imperfection, fault, defect, flaw. These nouns denote loss or absence of perfection. A blemish is something thought to mar the appearance or character of a thing: “Industry in art is a necessity—not a virtue—and any evidence of the same, in the production, is a blemish” Imperfection and fault apply more comprehensively to any deficiency or shortcoming: “A true critic ought to dwell rather upon excellencies than imperfections” “Each of us would point out to the other her most serious faults, and thereby help her to remedy them” . Defect denotes a serious functional or structural shortcoming: “Ill breeding . . . is not a single defect, it is the result of many” Flaw refers to an often small but always fundamental weakness: Experiments revealed a very basic flaw in the theory.

Paragraph 19

Hopkins held out one wasted hand and ticked off points on skeletal fingers held out: to put forward; reach out; extend; offer waste: cause (sb/sth) to become weaker and thinner

His body was wasted by long illness.a wasting diseaselimbs wasted by hunger

tick off: to check off (an item, etc) with a ticktick off the names of those present

skeleton: framework of bones supporting an animal or a human body The child was reduced to a skeleton, ie very thin because of hunger, illness, etc. skeletal

Hopkins extended one of his weak and feeble hands and used his thin bony fingers to count the things the British wanted to have

Points

An immediate declaration of war on Germany

A warning by the U.S. to Japan

Big war supplies to their people in Egypt and the Middle East

Understanding in getting aid ahead of Russia

Paragraph 19 They’ll press for an immediate declaration of war on GermanyThey’ll persistently urge us to declare war on Germany It soften the ground for the second demandIt will make it difficult for the Americans to reject their second demand Their empire is mighty rickety at this pointTheir empire is very weak in that area They hope such a warning will shore it up

shore sth. up: support sth. with a wooden beam, etc propped against itshore up the side of an old house to stop it falling down The villagers shored up sagging huts.Engineers are trying to shore up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. She used this evidence to shore up her argument.

Paragraph 19

If Hitler pokes downs there and closes the canal, the empire strangles

Pokes: makes troubles down there in the Middle East strangle: kill sb. by squeezing or gripping the throat tightly;

throttleHe strangled her with her own scarf.This stiff collar is strangling me.

Bomb the hell out of Germany: bomb Germany heavily Stuff we give Russia, it will be hinted, may be turned around and po

inted against us in a few weeks(????)

Paragraph 21-23

What was the situation in Eastern front like? The Russians have taken a shellacking

Shellac: (AmE. infml) defeat (sb) soundly or severely shellacking: n (AmE. infml) sound or severe defeatWe gave their team a real shellacking.

The Russians have suffered decisive defeat so far Hopkins gave Victor a sad smile(???) Also, Pug, this is the changing of the guard(???)

3.Churchill calls

Which saw the dramatic handshakes of Roosevelt and Churchill at eh gangway

1976 saw the downfall of the “gang of four”

The turn of the century found the country united

1848 witnessed another revolutionary upsurge in Europe gangway: movable bridge for entering or

leaving a ship(Brit) passage between two rows of seats in a theatre, concert-hall, etc

Why dramatic?

Paragraph 1

They prolonged their clasp…smiling wordsThe two leaders made their handshake last longer

than usual to give photographers time to take pictures. At the same time they smiled and greeted each other.

Paragraph 2

In an odd…each other diminish: (cause sth. to) become smaller or less; decre

ase His strength has diminished over the years.Nothing could diminish her enthusiasm for the project. make (sb. / sth.) seem less important than it really is; devalueThe opposition are trying to diminish our achievements.

When they met face to face, the two leaders made each other smaller

Who was Number 1

Roosevelt Churchill

advantages

A full head taller

Much older

More dignified

More assured

disadvantages Pathetically braced on lifeless leg frames Bent;

A trace of deferenceClinging to his son’s arm

Full trousers drooped and flapping

Paragraph 2

He was pathetically braced on lifeless leg frames pathetic: causing one to feel pity or sadness

pathetic cries for helpthe pathetic sight of starving childrenHis tears were pathetic to witness. pathetically thin His answers were pathetically inadequate.

He managed to stand only with the help of the leg frames, which was a pitiful sight

Paragraph 2

His full trousers drooped and flapping droop: bend or hang downwards

through tiredness or weakness flowers drooping for lack of waterHer head drooped sadly.His spirits drooped at the news. (He became sad.)

His wide trousers hung downward and were too big for his thin legs

Paragraph 2

A bent Pickwick in blue uniformPickwick: main character in The Pickwick

Papers by Charles Dickens, who was short, stout, benevolent (good-hearted), stubborn, and often the target of humor, but also a representative of moral qualities, such as a determination to stand by the values of truth and justice.

Antonomasia: the use of a proper name to designate a member of a class

Paragraph 2

A trace of deference…

Deference: giving way to the wishes, accepting the opinions or judgements of another or others; yielding in opinions, judgements, wishes

The prime Minister was either ready to yield to the wishes and opinions of the President, or was somehow respectful of him

By shade of shade…:

Shade: very slight difference or variation

Both them are number one,but somehow Roosevelt looked just a litle more of Number 1

Paragraph 3

The erect frontpage president became the cripple more familiar to Pugerect: standing on end; upright; vertical Frontpage: the pictures that appeared on the frontpages of the newspaper

:the usual image of the president people hadcripple: person who is unable to walk or move properly becaus

e of disease or injury to the spine or legscrippled by poliotheir crippled daughter a ship crippled by a stormThe business has been crippled by losses. The country has crippling (ie extremely large) debts.

Paragraph 3

Hobbling a step or two and sinking with relief into the chairhobble: walk with difficulty because the feet or

legs hurt or are disabled; walk lamely; limpThe old man hobbled along (the road) with the aid of his stick.

Roosevelt was glad that the strain and discomfort of standing came to end and he could sit down

Conference

level

1 Summit President; prime minister;advisors

2 Chiefs and Staff Chiefs and Staff;

deputies

3 Planners Planners like Henry

Problems emerging

1 Excessive and contradictory requests from British services

2 Unreal plans

3 Unfilled contracts

4 Jumbled priorities

5 Fouled communication

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The staffs got right to business and conferred all day got right to business: got down right away to business confer: have discussions (esp. in order to exchange opinions or get advic

e) She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision.

Excessive and contradictory requests from British services Excessive: being too much or too great, immoderate, inordinate service: branch of the armed forces

the three services, ie the Navy, the Army, the Air Force Unreal plans: plans put forward not on a realistic basis Unfilled contracts: contracts that failed to be carried out

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Jumbled priorities:jumble: mix (things) in a confused way

Toys, books, shoes and clothes were jumbled (up) on the floor.Details of the accident were all jumbled up in his mind.

Many different items all listed as top priorities Fouled communicationfoul : spoil sth, usu. by behaving in a thoughtless or foolish way; mess sth up

Everything was just fine until Fred came along and fouled things up. Dogs are not permitted to foul (ie excrete on) the pavement. The factories are responsible for fouling up the air for miles around.

Coded messages wrongly deciphered (decoded or translated); message mislaid or not clearly stated

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One cardinal point the planners hammered out firstCardinal:pinciple, chief, of main importancehammered out: to develop or work out by careful though

t or repeated effort or serious discussionsBuilding new ships to replace U-boat sinking came firstU-boat sinking: the ships which had been sunk by U-boa

ts (by the Axis, by German, Japanese or Italian submarines)

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No war materiel could be used against Hitler until it had crossed the oceans

materiel : equipment, apparatus and supplies used by an organization or institution

War materiel had to be shipped to England if they were to be used in the fight against Hitler. This could be done only if they had enough ships and the Atlantic Ocean was made safe for the Allies. This sentence indicates that the importance of building new ships to replace those being sunk in great numbers, because at that time the Allies still could not successfully defend their ships against U-boats. Later, new technology broke the blockade

Paragraph 4 This plain truth…every projection red line: a recommended safety limie: the fastest, farthest or highest point or deg

ree considered safe As soon as the two parties agreed that priority should be given to the building of

ships, all other requests and programs would have to be crossed out The simple yardstick…and toolsyardstick: standard of comparison

Durability is one yardstick of quality.We need a yardstick to measure our performance by.

arsenal: place where weapons and ammunition are made or stored Dictate: lay down authoritativelyThe simple yardstick rapidly revealed what were lacking in the US war industry

at the time, and showed the urgent need for building new steel mills and plants

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Through all…thousand fifleshypothesis: (pl. -ses) idea or suggestion that is based on kno

wn facts and is used as a basis for reasoning or further investigationput sth forward as a hypothesishypothesize: form a hypothesis; assume sth. as a hypothesishypothetical: of or based on a hypothesis; not necessarily true or real

Through all the talk of suppositional plans, one modest and almost pitiable request kept cropping up, that is an immediate need for a hundred fifty thousand rifles

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If Russia collapsed..from the air wrap sth. up: (infml) complete (a task, a discussion, an agreement, etc)

The salesman had already wrapped up a couple of deals by lunch-time. Crete: SE Greece , in the E Mediterranean Sea and marking the southern

limit of the Aegean Sea. A British military base in World War II, it was attacked on May 20-30, 1941 by Germany in the first and only successful all-air invasion of the war.

Crete-like invasion: a larg-scale airborne attack was successfully launched by the Germans on this eastern Mediterranean Island, May 1941, the first of its kind in history

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The stupendous materiel…rifles nowstupendous: amazingly large, impressive, good, etc.

a stupendous mistake, achievement The opera was quite stupendous!

plea: earnest request; appeala plea for forgiveness, money, more timeHe was deaf to her pleas. (law) statement made by or for a person charged with an offence in court( 法庭中被告一方的抗辩 , 答辩 )enter a plea of guilty / not guilty 承认有罪 / 不承认有罪

Compared with the huge figures for future joint British-U.S. invasion of North Africa or the French coast, the present request of a hundred fifty thousand rifles immediately was sadly sall

Roosevelt hobbles across

Boats from all over the sparkling bay came clustering to the Prince of Wales

cluster: number of things of the same kind growing closely togethera cluster of berries, flowers, curlsivy growing in thick clustersa cluster of houses, spectators, bees, islands, diamonds, stars form a cluster round sb. / sth.; surround sb. / sth. closelyroses clustering round the window The village clusters round the church. Reporters (were) clustered round the Prime Minister.

Boats… came grouping around the Prince of Wales

Paragraph 1

In sunlight that seemed almost blindingThe sun shone so brightly that one could hardly see;

the sunlight was most dazzlingIn sunlight… the forests of larch and fir glowed a

rich greenGlow: to show brilliant, conspicuous colorsRich: deep, intense, vividThe forests showed a brilliant, deep green in the

sunshine

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An American destroyer slowly nosed its bridge alongside the battleship,…was thrown across

nose: (cause sth to) go forward slowlyThe car nosed carefully round the corner.The plane nosed into the hangar.He nosed the car into the garage. The ship nosed its way slowly through the ice.

bridge: raised platform across the deck of a ship, from which it is controlled and navigated by the captain and officers 船桥，舰桥（船长或高级船员操纵及导航之处）

gangplank: movable plank for walking into or out of a boat; (small) gangway An American destroyer slowly moved parallel with the battleship so t

hat its bridge was side by side with the main deck of the battleship

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Lurched out on the gangplank…then the other

Lurch: To stagger.

laborious: showing signs of great effort; not fluent or natural

hitch: pull upHe hitched up his trousers before sitting down.

Roosevelt’s legs could not function so he had to rely on the movement of the hip to hitch his leg forward

The bay was calm, but both ships were moving on long swells

Swell: a large wave that moves steadily without breaking

Both boats were tossed slightly up and down by waves that moved steadily without breaking

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With each step, the tall president tottered and swayed

totter: walk or move unsteadily; stagger The child tottered across the room.She tottered to her feet. rock or shake as if about to fallThe tall chimney tottered (to and fro) and then collapsed.

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Churchill saluted him and offered his handChurchill held out his hand to helpHis face stiff with strainstrain: condition of being stretched or pulled tightly

The rope broke under the strain. It was with great effort that he stood at attention,

hence a stiff faceHitched and hobbled

Paragraph 4

The British chaplain, his white and crimson vestments flapping

chaplain: clergyman attached to the chapel of a school, prison, etc, or serving in the armed forces

vestment: ceremonial garment, esp. one worn by a priest in church Preserve us from the dangers of the sea:

protect us so that we would not get drowned; so that our ships would not get sunk

That we may be a security for such as pass upon the sea upon their lawful occasions:

This is biblical English, meaning so that we may give protection to those who sail upon the sea on lawful business

Paragraph 5

Sneaked cameras from their blouses

blouses :type of jacket worn by soldiers as part of their uniform

Took out secretly cameras from their jackets(jumpers)

…swarmed into a laughing, cheering ring around the two men

More and more sailors came and they surrounded the two men, laughing, cheering

Paragraph 5

Pug Henry,…felt a touch on his elbow wont: (dated or rhet.) in the habit of doing sth.; accustomed to doing s

th.He was wont to give lengthy speeches.n. (fml. or rhet.) custom; habit She went for a walk after breakfast, as was her wont.wonted: customary

He drove with his wonted carefulessness. A touch on his elbow; a tap on the shoulder; a slap i

n the face; a blow on the head

A request from the British

den: animal's hidden home, eg a cavea bear's / lion's den (infml) room in a home where a person can work or study without being disturbed retire to one's den

What’s your position…What’s your attitude towards drinking on board? I have a fair bottle of sherry hereI have nearly a full bottle of sherry here I’m for itI’m in favour of drinking on board You’re dry as a bone in your service, aren’t you?dry: (of a country or region) where it is illegal to buy or sell alcoholic drink

Some parts of Wales are dry on Sundays. dry as a bone: completely dry You are not allowed to drink on board, are you?


The president…his desires

tailor: make or adapt sth. for a special purposeThese homes are tailored to the needs of the elderly We can tailor the insurance policy according to your special needs

The president is the man who lays down all Navy regulations and he can adapt them as he wishes

Jolly convenient: very convenient We ran into a whole gale

gale: very strong wind (force 8 on the Beaufort Scale); storm (at sea) It's blowing a gale outside.The ship lost its masts in the gale.

We entered an area where there was a strong wind


Our destroyers couldn’t maintain speed, so we zigzagged on alone

zigzag: (of a line, path, etc) turning right and left alternately at sharp angles a zigzag road, course, flash of lightning

I was appalled to hear about itappall / appal: fill (sb) with horror or dismay; shock deeply

The newspaper reports of starving children appalled me. We were appalled at the prospect of having to miss our holiday

A request from the BritishRather sporting of the British Prime Minister…on the open sea sporting: showing fairness; generous; sportsmanlike

It's very sporting of you to give me an initial advantage. （开局先让一步）He made me a sporting offer, ie one that involved some risk of his losing.

It was rather risky and daring of Churchill to give the German soldiers a good chance to attack him on the high seas

Three thousand miles without air cover or surface escort …submarine fleet

The ship went three thousand miles without air cover or surface escort and went straight through the entire submarine fleet (U-boats)

A request from the British You had your good angels escorting you. That’s all I can sayThe only reason I can offer is that some sort of supernatural force was helping yo

u at any rate: whatever may happen; in any case

That's one part of the job done at any rate. But it might be prudent not to overwork those good angel, what? prudent: acting with or showing care and foresight; showing good judgement; ca

reful prudent housekeeping It would be prudent to save some of the money. That was a prudent decision. One can rely on the prudence of his decisions.

What: what do you sayWe would have to be careful not to make excessive use of those good angel, othe

rwise theywould refuse to protect us


On our way back…be on battle alert On battle alert: on the outlook and ready to attack We shall have to run the gamut gamut : complete range or scale (of sth.)

the whole gamut of human emotions from joy to despairrun the gamut (of sth): experience or perform the complete range of sth.

In his short life he had run the entire gamut of crime, from petty theft to murder.

We shall have to face all the U-boat risks that will be there on our way back


We’re stretched thin for escorts:

we have a very weak, insufficient escort forceWe have rounded up four destroyers:

We have only collected four destroyersAdmiral Pound would be happier with six

We would do with two more destroyers on the escort force on our return journey

Lesson Plan 5

Jiang Zhao-zi


Three thousand miles without air cover or surface escort …submarine fleet

The ship went three thousand miles without air cover or surface escort and went straight through the entire submarine fleet (U-boats)

A request from the British You had your good angels escorting you. That’s all I can sayThe only reason I can offer is that some sort of supernatural force was helping you at any rate: whatever may happen; in any case

That's one part of the job done at any rate. But it might be prudent not to overwork those good angel, what? prudent: acting with or showing care and foresight; showing good judgement; caref

ul prudent housekeeping It would be prudent to save some of the money. That was a prudent decision. One can rely on the prudence of his decisions.

What: what do you sayWe would have to be careful not to make excessive use of those good angel, otherw

ise theywould refuse to protect us


On our way back…be on battle alert On battle alert: on the outlook and ready to attack We shall have to run the gamut gamut : complete range or scale (of sth.)

the whole gamut of human emotions from joy to despairrun the gamut (of sth): experience or perform the complete range of sth. In his short life he had run the entire gamut of crime, from petty theft to murder.

We shall have to face all the U-boat risks that will be there on our way back


We’re stretched thin for escorts:

we have a very weak, insufficient escort forceWe have rounded up four destroyers:

We have only collected four destroyersAdmiral Pound would be happier with six

We would do with two more destroyers on the escort force on our return journey

Paragraph 11-14

You understand that this cannot be a request from us…downright annoyed downright: (of sth. undesirable) thorough, complete, frank, straightforward

a downright liedownright stupidity

annoy: cause slight anger to (sb); irritate Hopkins, squinting out at the sunny water, wore a pained expression squint: look at sth. with eyes half shut or turned sideways, or through a narr

ow opening squinting in the bright sunlight

Pug walked up ..The lines along King’s lean jaws deepened..it was just a gesture of dismissal, and a convincing one

Paragraph 15-a speech by Churchill

One night Churchill took the floor…delivered a rolling, rich word picture of how the war would go

took the floor: get up to speak or address an audienceI now invite the President to take the floor. get up and start to dance She took the floor with her husband.

1. Blockade, ever-growing air bombardment, and subversion..weaken the grip of Nazi claws in Europe (figure of speech)

2 Russia and England would “close the ring” and slowly, inexorably tighten it

close the ring: surround, form an encirclement

inexorable :relentless


3.If the United States became a full-fledged ally, it would all go much faster

fledged: (of birds) having fully developed wing feathers for flying; able to flyfull-fledged / fully-fledged: (of a young bird) having grown all its feathers, and now able to fly, completely trained

4. No big invasion or long land campaign would be needed in the West.

5. Landing of a few armored columns in the occupied countries would bring mass uprisings.

Landing of a few tank or motorized units in the Euopean countries occupied by Nazi would result in large scale uprising of the people in those countries


6. Hitler’s black empire would suddenly collapse in rubble, blood, and flame

rubble: bits of broken stone, rock or bricks The explosion reduced the building to (a pile of) rubble. (totally demolished it)

Hitler’s evil empire would be completely destroyed. Franklin Roosevelt listened with bright-eyed smiling attention

Bright-eyed: so exited, so inspired that his eyes were shining

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task force: group of people and resources specially organized for a particular (esp military) task

task unit: 特混舰队

Task unit 26 point 3 point 1: the name of a group of ships

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You’ll have no written orders written orders—authorizing officially—discovered

—an act of belligerency

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Possible mission for Pug Expertise on landing craft—service record (a “poor to fair”)knowledg

e of Russian

Expertise:expert knowledge or skill, esp. in a particular fieldCustomers will be impressed by the expertise of our highly trained employees.We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.

a “poor to fair”knowledge of Russian:ranging from poor to fairly good; neither too good or too bad; average

Paragraph 20-25 Preparation for the mission: detached from war plans with an intensive refresher co

urse in Russian Detached: separate refresh: give new strength or vigour to, refresh oneself with a cup of tea / a hot bath

She felt refreshed after her sleep. Just refresh my memory: were you born in York?This breeze is very refreshing.

revive, restore, resuscitate, revivify. These verbs mean to give renewed well-being, vitality, or strength to:

rains that revive lawns; an invalid restored by fresh air; resuscitating old hopes; a celebration that revivified our spirits. ）

Paragraph 20-25

refresher course: course of instruction for eg. teachers to learn about new techniques and developments in their field （进修课程 )

But with even a smattering , your intelligence value will be greater

smattering: slight knowledge, esp. of a languagehave a smattering of French, German,

intelligence value: Pug’s value in the gathering of secret information for military purpose

U-boat Sightings

U-boat: (Germ. undersseeboot) undersea boat

sighting: instance of sb./ sth. being seen several reported sightings of the escaped prisonerthe first sighting of a new star

Here, U-boat sighting means the German undersea boats that are shown on the chart.

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To brass band…in a brisk breeze smelling of green hills and gunpower…

brisk: quick; active; energetic

prince of Wales left Argentia Bay to the accompaniemnt of brass band anthems, booming gun salutes and in a cool, bracing breeze with the smell of green hills and gunpower

What it indicates by smell of green hills and gunpower?

Paragraph 2 In the wardroom..sense the subtle gloom hanging over the shipBe vaguely aware of a feeling of helplessness which was difficult to percei

ve but which permeated the place In itself…as a bad sign: the fact itself made them believe that it was a b

ad omen Veterans of two combat years…had a subdued dismal air despite the gr

andeur of their ship and the stuffy luxury of their wardroomveteran: person with much or long experience, esp. as a soldier

war veterans veterans of two World Wars veterans of the civil rights campaign

subdue: bring sb. / sth. under control by force; defeatsubdue the rebelscalm (esp. one's emotions)He managed to subdue his mounting anger

Paragraph 2

defeat, conquer, vanquish, beat, rout, subdue, subjugate, overcome. These verbs mean to triumph over an adversary.

Defeat is the most general:

“Whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same”

Conquer suggests decisive and often wide-scale victory:

“The Franks . . . having conquered the Gauls, established the kingdom which has taken its name from them”

Vanquish emphasizes total mastery:

Napoleon's forces were vanquished at Waterloo.

Paragraph 2 Beat is similar to defeat, though less formal and often more emphatic: “To win battles . . . you beat the soul . . . of the enemy man” Rout implies complete victory followed by the disorderly flight of the

defeated force: The enemy was routed in the first battle. Subdue suggests mastery and control achieved by overpowering: “It cost [the Romans] two great wars, and three great battles, to subdue

that little kingdom [Macedonia]” Subjugate more strongly implies reducing an opponent to submission: “The last foreigner to subjugate England was a Norman duke in the

Middle Ages named William” To overcome is to prevail over, often by persevering:

He overcame his injury after months of physical therapy

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Dismal:causing or showing sadness; gloomy; miserabledismal weather, countryside The news was as dismal as ever.

grandeur: greatness; magnificence; impressivenessthe grandeur of Mount Tai

stuffy: (of a room, etc) not having much fresh aira smoky, stuffy pub

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The predicament of England seemed soaked in their bonespredicament: difficult or unpleasant situation, esp. one in which sb. is uncertai

n what to doYour refusal puts me in an awkward predicament.A loan of money would help me out of my predicament.

Soaked: to pass or penetrate as a liquid does; permeateThey were over conscious of their country’s plightThey could not believe …risked the best ship in their strained navy..empty-ha

ndedStrained navy: the navy which is already hard pressed; the navy had suffered

great lossesThey could not believe that Churchill had risked the best ship in their already

inadequate, weak navy and his oown life for nothing

argentia bay

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