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Chapter 8 The Dragon of Alca. (Continuation)

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FOLLOWING the counsel of the holy Mael the inhabitants of Alca endeavoured to uproot1 the superstitions2 that had sprung up amongst them. They took care to prevent the girls from dancing with incantations round the fairy tree. Young mothers were sternly forbidden to rub their children against the stones that stood upright in the fields so as to make them strong. An old man of Dombes who foretold3 the future by shaking grains of barley4 on a sieve5, was thrown into a well.

However, each night the monster still raided the poultry-yards and the cattle-sheds. The frightened peasants barricaded6 themselves in their houses. A woman with child who saw the shadow of a dragon on the road through a window in the moonlight, was so terrified that she was brought to bed before her time.

In those days of trial, the holy Mael meditated7 unceasingly on the nature of dragons and the means of combating them. After six months of study and prayer he thought he had found what he sought. One evening as he was walking by the sea with a young monk8 called Samuel, he expressed his thought to him in these terms:

“I have studied at length the history and habits of dragons, not to satisfy a vain curiosity, but to discover examples to follow in the present circumstances. For such, Samuel, my son, is the use of history.

“It is an invariable fact that dragons are extremely vigilant9. They never sleep, and for this reason we often find them employed in guarding treasures. A dragon guarded at Colchis the golden fleece that Jason conquered from him. A dragon watched over the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides. He was killed by Hercules and transformed into a star by Juno. This fact is related in some books, and if it be true, it was done by magic, for the gods of the pagans are in reality
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1 uproot 3jCwL     
v.连根拔起，拔除；根除，灭绝；赶出家园，被迫移开
参考例句：
  • The family decided to uproot themselves and emigrate to Australia.他们全家决定离开故土，移居澳大利亚。
  • The trunk of an elephant is powerful enough to uproot trees.大象的长鼻强壮得足以将树木连根拔起。
2 superstitions bf6d10d6085a510f371db29a9b4f8c2f     
迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
  • Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。
3 foretold 99663a6d5a4a4828ce8c220c8fe5dccc     
v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • She foretold that the man would die soon. 她预言那人快要死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Must lose one joy, by his life's star foretold. 这样注定：他，为了信守一个盟誓／就非得拿牺牲一个喜悦作代价。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
4 barley 2dQyq     
n.大麦，大麦粒
参考例句：
  • They looked out across the fields of waving barley.他们朝田里望去,只见大麦随风摇摆。
  • He cropped several acres with barley.他种了几英亩大麦。
5 sieve wEDy4     
n.筛，滤器，漏勺
参考例句：
  • We often shake flour through a sieve.我们经常用筛子筛面粉。
  • Finally,it is like drawing water with a sieve.到头来，竹篮打水一场空。
6 barricaded 2eb8797bffe7ab940a3055d2ef7cec71     
设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守
参考例句：
  • The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
  • The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。
7 meditated b9ec4fbda181d662ff4d16ad25198422     
深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑
参考例句：
  • He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
  • She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。
8 monk 5EDx8     
n.和尚，僧侣，修道士
参考例句：
  • The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
  • Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。
9 vigilant ULez2     
adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的
参考例句：
  • He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
  • The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。
10 demons 8f23f80251f9c0b6518bce3312ca1a61     
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念
参考例句：
  • demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
  • He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 slain slain     
杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)
参考例句：
  • The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
  • His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。
12 fables c7e1f2951baeedb04670ded67f15ca7b     
n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说
参考例句：
  • Some of Aesop's Fables are satires. 《伊索寓言》中有一些是讽刺作品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Little Mexican boys also breathe the American fables. 墨西哥族的小孩子对美国神话也都耳濡目染。 来自辞典例句
13 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的
参考例句：
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
14 credence Hayy3     
n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证
参考例句：
  • Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
  • Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。
15 devoured af343afccf250213c6b0cadbf3a346a9     
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句：
  • She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
  • The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。
16 devour hlezt     
v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷
参考例句：
  • Larger fish devour the smaller ones.大鱼吃小鱼。
  • Beauty is but a flower which wrinkle will devour.美只不过是一朵，终会被皱纹所吞噬。
17 virgin phPwj     
n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的
参考例句：
  • Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
  • There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。
18 overthrown 1e19c245f384e53a42f4faa000742c18     
adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词
参考例句：
  • The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
  • He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。
19 leash M9rz1     
n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住
参考例句：
  • I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
  • The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。
20 virgins 2d584d81af9df5624db4e51d856706e5     
处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母）
参考例句：
  • They were both virgins when they met and married. 他们从相识到结婚前都未曾经历男女之事。
  • Men want virgins as concubines. 人家买姨太太的要整货。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
21 entreaty voAxi     
n.恳求，哀求
参考例句：
  • Mrs. Quilp durst only make a gesture of entreaty.奎尔普太太仅做出一种哀求的姿势。
  • Her gaze clung to him in entreaty.她的眼光带着恳求的神色停留在他身上。
22 devouring c4424626bb8fc36704aee0e04e904dcf     
吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句：
  • The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。
  • He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。
23 scatters 803ecee4ca49a54ca72e41929dab799f     
v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒
参考例句：
  • He scatters money about as if he were rich. 他四处挥霍，好像很有钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Truth raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast. 真理引起了反对它自己的狂风骤雨，那场风雨吹散了真理的广播的种子。 来自辞典例句
24 devastates 3ee7153b838419bc8877dd3c1e1e9279     
v.彻底破坏( devastate的第三人称单数 )；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮
参考例句：
  • Strip mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. 露天矿产毁坏全部区域，离开赤裸和无用的地面。 来自互联网
  • Prostitution is a profession that devastates the lives of young women. 雏妓这个职业是对女孩子极度的摧残。 来自互联网
25 psalms 47aac1d82cedae7c6a543a2c9a72b9db     
n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)
参考例句：
  • the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
  • A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句
26 penguins fc5bf5a50fd6b440a35d113f324c5e75     
n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

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