大学英语综合（四）原文及翻译UNIT1-B清晰版

Would nature be on the side of the Allied forces as they prepared to invade mainland Europe or would it favour the Germans? No one was certain. 大自然会站在秣马厉兵准备进攻欧洲大陆的同盟国一方，还是会偏袒德国人？谁也说不准。 The Normandy Landings Anthony Ward 1 The largest and most ambitious military expedition in history was the invasion of Normandy in northern France by British, American and Canadian forces that took place in the summer of 1944. Even nature played a role. 诺曼底登陆 安东尼·沃德       有史以来规模最大、最具雄心的军事行动是1944年夏天英国、美国和加拿大联合部队进攻法国北方的诺曼底。在这一战事中自然力量也起了重要作用。 2 It took more than a year for military planners to orchestrate every movement of troops, artillery, ships and aircraft and to set everything in place for the move that was to open up a second front in Europe. This would liberate France and open the way for the final assault on Germany itself.       军事家运筹帷幄，用了一年多的时间部署军队、大炮、船只和飞机，为这一行动作了周密安排，以便在欧洲开辟第二战线。这样就能解放法国，也为最终攻击德国本土打开通路。 3 Everything was controlled; right down to the placement of military decoys across the English Channel to fool the Germans into thinking the attack would come from Britain's closest point to France at Pas de Calais rather than in Normandy as planned.       一切就绪，英吉利海峡上甚至还设下疑兵迷惑德国人，使他们相信将在英法最接近处的加来海峡发起攻击，而不是在计划中的诺曼底。 4 Everything was controlled, that is, except the weather.       一切就绪，只看天气。 5 D-Day, the code name given to the day of invasion, was originally scheduled for 5 June 1944. This date had been arrived at by considering two factors -- moonlight and tide. The hour of the invasion would need to be near sunrise, when the seaborne troops would have a rising tide. This would enable them to land close to the obstacles that had been placed to hinder their landing without coming ashore on top of them. The paratroopers needed a full moon for visibility. The days with the proper tide-moonlight formula closest to the target date were 5, 6 and 7 June. The fifth was chosen for D-Day to allow a safety margin in case the attack needed to be postponed.       代号为D日的进攻开始日最初定在1944年6月5日。选定这一天考虑了两个因素—月光与潮汐。进攻必须在接近日出之时进行，其时乘船渡海的部队能遇到一次涨潮。他们就能借助上涨的海水在靠近专为阻碍登陆而设的军事障碍附近登陆，而不必踩过这些障碍走上岸去。空降兵需要满月提高能见度。月光潮汐都适合这一 方案 气瓶 现场处置方案 .pdf气瓶 现场处置方案 .doc见习基地管理方案.doc关于群访事件的化解方案建筑工地扬尘治理专项方案下载 的、距预定进攻日最近的日期是6月5、6、7日三天。6月5日被选定为进攻开始日，其用意是留下一个安全系数，以防万一进攻需要推迟。 6 In addition to moonlight and favourable tides, calm seas were needed for the crossing. (2) But an unusually stormy transition from spring toward summer that year held out little hope that there would be a suitable break in the weather. It also meant the possibility that Operation Overlord, as the invasion was called, might have to be postponed until later in the year or even the following year.       除了月光和有利的海潮，渡海还需要海上风平浪静。然而，当年春夏之交大风暴异乎寻常地多，想天气在这个当儿出现一个适合进攻的风平浪静的间隙，希望微乎其微。这也意味着被称作巨头行动的登陆计划可能不得不推迟到下半年，甚至来年。 7 With the arrival of 5 June, the weather was so bad that General Eisenhower, supreme commander of the invasion forces, was forced to postpone the invasion by one day. When he met with his staff to review their options, they were faced with the grim reality that 6 June did not look much better than the original D-Day. The meteorological report gave a thin ray of hope that a lull in the storm would allow enough time to launch the invasion. Consultations went on late into the night on whether to press ahead. Opinions were divided. Finally, Eisenhower made his decision. "I am quite positive we must give the order," he said. "I don't like it, but there it is. I don't see how we can do anything else." Within hours, an armada of 3,000 landing craft, 2,500 other ships, and 500 naval vessels began to leave English ports.       6月5日到了，气候如此恶劣，进攻部队最高统帅艾森豪威尔将军被迫将进攻推迟了一天。当他与参谋人员讨论供选择的日子时，面临着一个严峻的现实，即看不出6月6日的天气比原定的进攻开始日有多大好转。气象预报显示，风浪有一丁点儿可能稍稍停息的希望，从而能争取到足够的时间发起进攻。关于是否行动的讨论持续到深夜。与会者意见不一。最后，艾森豪威尔做出了决定。“我相信我们必须发布命令，”他说。“我不想这么做，但只能这样。我看此外我们别无选择。”数小时之内，由3000艘登陆艇、2500艘其他船只，以及500艘军舰组成的舰队从英格兰各处港口启航。 8 Meanwhile, critical errors by the German side allowed them to be taken completely by surprise. Due to the bad weather, the German navy cancelled its usual patrol of the English Channel. Also, a practice drill scheduled for June 6 was called off. The German meteorological services were unaware of the break in the weather. On the eve of the attack, many of the top German leaders were absent from their commands. Rommel, the general in charge of the coastal defences, was in Germany visiting his wife on her birthday, and several officers were some distance away in Rennes or on their way there for a war-game exercise.       与此同时，德军一系列重大失误使他们被打得措手不及。由于气候恶劣，德国海军取消了英吉利海峡的例行巡航。原定于6月6日举行的一次演习也被取消。德国气象部门没有预料到天气会突然变化。进攻前夜，许多德国高层人物都离开了他们的指挥部。负责海防的隆美尔将军在德国探望妻子，庆祝她的生日；有几位军官远在雷恩，或在前往雷恩的路上，去参加在那里举行的一次军事演习。 9 The assault on Normandy began at 12:15 a.m., when the pathfinders for the American airborne units left their planes and parachuted to earth. Five minutes later, on the other side of the invasion area, the British pathfinders made their jump. The pathfinders were specially trained to find and mark the drop zones. The main airborne assault was to commence within the hour.       进攻诺曼底在午夜12:15发起，美国空降部队的伞降信号员跳下飞机开始伞降。5分钟之后，在登陆区域的另一侧，英国伞降信号员也开始跳伞。这些伞降信号员都经过特别训练，擅长寻找、标识着陆区域。大规模的空降行动1小时内全面展开。 10 The airborne attack became confused because of stiff winds and the evasive flying of the transport planes when they encountered anti-aircraft fire. As a result, the paratroopers were scattered over a wide area and most missed their drop zones, some by as much as 20 miles. Other complications were caused by the terrain, and the worst terrain was on the Cotentin Peninsula. The Germans had laced the open fields with anti-personnel and glider stakes and flooded the low areas. The flooding caused the most trouble for the Americans of the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions, with many of the troops drowned, laden down by their heavy equipment.       由于风力强劲，也由于运输机遭遇高射炮轰击时采取规避飞行，空降行动出现混乱。结果，伞兵降落过于分散，大多数人偏离了降落区域，有的偏离了20英里之多。地形也造成了不少困难，最不利的地形在科唐坦半岛上。德国人在开阔地布置了杀伤地雷和栅栏，在低洼地灌以海水。海水给美国101和82空降师造成严重困难，许多士兵被重型装备拖累，遭水淹没。 11 The airborne units were to secure the flanks of the amphibious assault. That meant capturing bridges, crossroads and coastal batteries. After accomplishing those tasks, the paratroopers had to withstand any German counterattacks.       空降部队的任务是从侧翼掩护两栖进攻。这就意味着要强占桥梁津要，夺取沿海的炮台。完成这些任务之后，伞兵还必须顶住德军的反攻。 12 As the airborne units struggled to achieve their goals, the great fleet made its way across the channel to its appointment with destiny. Leading that grand armada were the minesweepers. Behind them followed a vast array of naval vessels of every conceivable type. Never before had such a fleet been assembled. Including the landing craft carried on board, the combined Allied invasion armada numbered up to 6,000 ships. Approximately 150,000 men were to cross the English Channel and land at assault beaches code-named "Utah," "Omaha," "Gold," "Juno" and "Sword."       正当空降部队艰难地执行着任务之时，庞大的舰队也在横渡英吉利海峡，赴命运之神的约会。这支浩浩荡荡舰队的先锋是扫雷舰。跟在后面的是由各种船只组成的数量庞大的海军舰队。以前从未调集过如此庞大的舰队。包括船上的登陆艇在内，进攻的盟军联合舰队拥有6,000多艘船只。约150,000名将士横渡英吉利海峡，分别在代号为“犹他”、“奥马哈”、“黄金”、“朱诺”和“宝剑”的海滩登陆。 13 The first areas of French soil wrested from German control were a group of small islands located three miles off Utah Beach. Allied commanders were concerned that these islands could be used as sites for heavy guns. The men of the U.S. 4th and 24th Cavalry squadrons were designated to take the islands prior to the main invasion. The assault teams found only land mines. The Germans had left the islands unoccupied.       最早摆脱德国人控制的法国领土是距犹他海滩3英里的一群小岛。盟军指挥官担心这些小岛可能被用来存放重型枪炮。美国第4和第24骑兵中队的士兵被派定在总攻发起之前夺下这些岛屿。进攻小组只发现了地雷。德国人没有派兵守岛。 14 For the majority of the assault troops, however, the war had not begun yet. After spending as long as 48 hours aboard the various transport ships as a result of the delay, many of the men were miserably seasick and in poor shape for the challenge ahead.       然而，对大多数登陆部队而言，战斗尚未开始。由于推迟行动，士兵在各种运输船舰上已待命48小时之久，许多人严重晕船，身体虚弱，不宜投入即将来临的战斗。 15 The naval bombardment began around 5:45 a.m. The air attack followed. The naval and air bombardments were designed to destroy the beach guns and obstacles, pin down the enemy and provide shelter for the ground troops on the open beaches by making craters. Both, however, largely failed in their objectives. Weather conditions had improved, but they were not perfect. Because of poor visibility caused by low cloud cover, it was decided that the bombers would delay the release of bombs 30 seconds to avoid hitting the assaulting troops. As a result, the bombs fell inland and missed their targets. Although the naval bombardment was more accurate, it was not much more effective against the hardened German gun emplacements.       凌晨5:45左右，舰炮轰击开始了。空中轰击紧随其后。舰炮和空中轰击的目的在于摧毁海滩上的火力网与障碍物，用火力把敌人困住，并在开阔的海滩上炸出弹坈，以此为地面部队提供掩体。但舰炮和空中轰击大都没能实现自己的目标。天气状况有所好转，但仍相当不理想。低空密密的云层致使能见度极差，于是决定轰炸机延迟30秒钟投弹，以避免误伤进攻部队。结果，炸弹都落在内地，错过了目标。舰炮轰击虽然较为准确，但德国人加强了大炮阵地，所以也未能充分发挥作用。 16 The weather also was partially responsible for causing some of the assault craft to miss their assigned landing areas. Additionally, many of the landing craft and amphibious tanks foundered in the rough sea. In the Omaha area, most of the craft carrying artillery and tanks intended to support the incoming troops sank in the high waves.       气候也是导致一些强击艇未能驶抵指定的登陆点的部分因素。此外，许多登陆艇和水陆两用坦克在汹涌的大海中沉没。在奥马哈区域，装载着用以支援后续部队的大炮坦克的船只大都在巨浪中沉没。 At Utah Beach, however, a strange stroke of good fortune occurred when the assault craft encountered a southerly current that caused them to land in the wrong sector. The German shore batteries that would have contested a landing in the original area would undoubtedly have taken a heavy toll. The landing at the new sector was virtually unopposed.       犹他海滩却出现了意想不到的好运，强击艇恰遇南来的水流，使他们弄错了登陆地区。要是在原定地区登陆的话，德军海岸炮群无疑会拼命抵抗并给盟军造成惨重伤亡。在新防区的登陆几乎没有遭到任何抵抗。 18 Despite difficulties, Eisenhower's gamble with the elements was to pay off. The invasion forces succeeded in establishing a toehold on French soil. Reinforcements began to pour in, thrusting on deep into France. Within a year Hitler's empire, which he had boasted would last a thousand years, lay in ruins.       尽管困难重重，艾森豪威尔在与恶劣天气的赌博中赢得了胜利。登陆部队成功地在法国领土上建立了立足点。增援部队开始源源涌入，在法国境内长驱直入。不到一年，希特勒自吹能延续千年的帝国便崩溃了。 1. obstacle n. a thing that blocks one's way 障碍物 e.g. Her father's opposition remained their only obstacle. 2. in case so as to be safe if (sth.) happens 万一；假使 e.g. Take a hat with you in case the sun is very hot. 3. favourable a. helpful; showing approval 有利的；赞同的 e.g. This region has a favourable climate for growing apples. 4. hold out offer; last; stand fast 提出，提供；维持；坚持 e.g. The forthcoming talks hold out the hope of real arms reductions. 5. due to because of 由于 e.g. He was late due to the very heavy traffic. 6. cancel vt. decide that (sth. arranged in advance) will not happen 取消 e.g. The match had to be cancelled because of bad weather. 7. call off cancel 取消 e.g. They have called off their trip to Tibet. 8. on the eve of immediately before 在…前夕 e.g. We are going to have a family reunion on the eve of the New Year. 9. absent a. not present; missing 缺席的；没有的 e.g. He was absent from the meeting. 10. stiff a. (of a wind, etc.) blowing strongly; not easily bent, changed in shape, etc.（风等）强烈的；硬的；僵直的 e.g. He walk forward difficultly because of the stiff wind. 11. complication n. a thing that makes a situation more complex or difficult 复杂情况；（新出现的）困难；障碍 e.g. Another complication was the excess of imports over exports. 12. withstand vt. endure without giving in; resist 承受；抵挡 e.g. This building is able to withstand destruction forces of nature. 13. concern vt. worry; be relevant to; affect 使担心；涉及；影响 concerned a. worried; troubled 担心的；忧虑的 e.g. We're rather concerned about father's health. 14. prior to before 在…之前 e.g. We received no notification prior to today's date. 15. pin down prevent from moving 把…困住; 使不能行动 e.g. He was pinned down by his attackers. 16. objective n. a thing aimed at or wished for 目标 e.g. My objective this summer will be learning to swim. 17. responsible a. being the cause of; legally or morally obliged; reliable and sensible 作为原由的； 应承担责任的；负责可靠的 e.g. The bus driver is responsible for the passengers safety. 18. contest v. fight for; struggle to win or keep 争夺 n. 争夺；竞争；比赛 e.g. How many people are contesting the seat on the council? 19. pay off bring good results; succeed 取得好结果；成功 e.g. His hard work paid off when he got a promotion. 20. boast v. talk about in a manner showing too much pride and satisfaction 吹嘘 e.g. The boy boasted that his bicycle was of the best quality of all the bicycles in the school.