SOME TENS OF THOUSANDS of men lay sacrificed in various postures¹ and uniforms on the fields and meadows belonging to the Davidov family and the Crown serfs, on those fields and meadows where for hundreds of years the peasants of Borodino, Gorky, Shevardino, and Semyonovskoye had harvested their crops and grazed their cattle. At the ambulance stations the grass and earth were soaked with blood for two acres round. Crowds of men, wounded and unwounded, of various arms, with panic-stricken faces, dragged themselves, on one side back to Mozhaisk, on the other to Valuev. Other crowds, exhausted² and hungry, were led forward by their officers. Others still held their ground, and went on firing.

Over all the plain, at first so bright and gay with its glittering bayonets and puffs³ of smoke in the morning sunshine, there hung now a dark cloud of damp mist and smoke and a strange, sour smell of saltpetre and blood. Storm clouds had gathered, and a drizzling⁴ rain began to fall on the dead, on the wounded, on the panic-stricken, and exhausted, and hesitating soldiers. It seemed to say: “Enough, enough; cease.… Consider. What are you doing?”

To the men on both sides, alike exhausted from want of food and rest, the doubt began to come whether they should still persist in slaughtering⁵ one another; and in every face could be seen hesitation⁶, and in every heart alike there rose the question: “For what, for whom am I to slay⁷ and be slain⁸? Slay whom you will, do what you will, but I have had enough!” This thought took shape towards evening in every heart alike. Any minute all those men might be horror-stricken at what they were doing, might throw up everything and run anywhere.

But though towards the end of the battle the men felt all the horror of their actions, though they would have been glad to cease, some unfathomable, mysterious force still led them on, and the artillerymen—the third of them left—soaked with sweat, grimed with powder and blood, and panting with weariness, still brought the charges, loaded, aimed, and lighted the match; and the

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1 postures
姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场
参考例句：
Modern consciousness has this great need to explode its own postures. 现代意识很有这种摧毁本身姿态的需要。 They instinctively gathered themselves into more tidy postures. 她们本能地恢复了端庄的姿态。

2 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的
参考例句：
It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。 Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

3 puffs
n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧
参考例句：
We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里，轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句 Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句

4 drizzling
下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The rain has almost stopped, it's just drizzling now. 雨几乎停了，现在只是在下毛毛雨。 It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。

5 slaughtering
v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史 \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

6 hesitation
n.犹豫，踌躇
参考例句：
After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。 There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

7 slay
v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮
参考例句：
He intended to slay his father's murderer.他意图杀死杀父仇人。 She has ordered me to slay you.她命令我把你杀了。

8 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。

9 cannon
n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮
参考例句：
The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。 The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

10 disorder
n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调
参考例句：
When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。 It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

11 annihilated
v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃
参考例句：
Our soldiers annihilated a force of three hundred enemy troops. 我军战士消灭了300名敌军。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 We annihilated the enemy. 我们歼灭了敌人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 overthrown
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。

13 attained
（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）
参考例句：
She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。 Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

14 exertions
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使
参考例句：
As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句 She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

15 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

16 foe
n.敌人，仇敌
参考例句：
He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。 A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

17 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

18 ravening
a.贪婪而饥饿的
参考例句：
He says the media are ravening wolves. 他说媒体就如同饿狼一般。 If he could get a fare nothing else mattered-he was like a ravening beast. 他只管拉上买卖，不管别的，像一只饿疯的野兽。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

19 inevitable
adj.不可避免的，必然发生的
参考例句：
Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。 The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

20 ebbed
（指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落
参考例句：
But the pain had ebbed away and the trembling had stopped. 不过这次痛已减退，寒战也停止了。 But gradually his interest in good causes ebbed away. 不过后来他对这类事业兴趣也逐渐淡薄了。