THE 5TH of November was the first day of the so-called battle of Krasnoe.

Many had been the blunders and disputes among the generals, who had not reached their proper places, many the contradictory¹ orders carried to them by adjutants, but towards evening it was clear that the enemy were everywhere in flight, and that there would not and could not be a battle. In the evening Kutuzov set out from Krasnoe towards Dobroe, to which place the headquarters had that day been removed.

It had been a clear, frosty day. Kutuzov, mounted on his fat, white little horse, was riding towards Dobroe, followed by an immense suite² of generals, whispering their dissatisfaction behind his back. Seven thousand French prisoners had been taken that day, and all along the road they met parties of them, crowding to warm themselves round the camp-fires. Not far from Dobroe they heard a loud hum of talk from an immense crowd of tattered³ prisoners, bandaged and wrapped up in rags of all sorts, standing⁵ in the road near a long row of unharnessed French cannons⁶. At the approach of the commander-in-chief the buzz of talk died away, and all eyes were fixed⁷ upon Kutuzov, who moved slowly along the road, wearing a white cap with a red band, and a wadded overcoat, that set in a hunch⁸ on his round shoulders. One of the generals began explaining to Kutuzov where the prisoners and the guns had been taken.

Kutuzov seemed absorbed in anxious thought, and did not hear the general's words. He screwed up his eyes with an air of displeasure, and gazed intently at the figures of the prisoners, who presented a particularly pitiable appearance. The majority of the French soldiers were disfigured by frost-bitten cheeks and noses, and almost all of them had red, swollen⁹, and streaming eyes.

One group of Frenchmen was standing close by the road, and two soldiers, one with his face covered with sores, were tearing at a piece of raw meat with their hands. There was something

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1 contradictory
adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立
参考例句：
The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。 What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

2 suite
n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员
参考例句：
She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。 That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

3 tattered
adj.破旧的，衣衫破的
参考例句：
Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。 Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

4 aged
adj.年老的，陈年的
参考例句：
He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。 He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 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。

6 cannons
n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》 One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 hunch
n.预感，直觉
参考例句：
I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉，他并不真正想去。 I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。

9 swollen
adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀
参考例句：
Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。 A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

10 bestial
adj.残忍的；野蛮的
参考例句：
The Roman gladiatorial contests were bestial amusements.罗马角斗是残忍的娱乐。 A statement on Amman Radio spoke of bestial aggression and a horrible massacre. 安曼广播电台播放的一则声明提到了野蛮的侵略和骇人的大屠杀。

11 cursory
adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的
参考例句：
He signed with only a cursory glance at the report.他只草草看了一眼报告就签了名。 The only industry mentioned is agriculture and it is discussed in a cursory sentence.实业方面只谈到农业,而且只是匆匆带了一句。

12 frenzied
a.激怒的；疯狂的
参考例句：
Will this push him too far and lead to a frenzied attack? 这会不会逼他太甚，导致他进行疯狂的进攻？ Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper. 两名十几岁的少年对当地的一个店主进行了疯狂的袭击。

13 eyelids
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色
参考例句：
She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。 Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 regiment
n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制
参考例句：
As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。 They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

15 beckoned
v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。 The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 reluctance
n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿
参考例句：
The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。 He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

17 attentive
adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的
参考例句：
She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。 The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

18 hurrah
int.好哇，万岁，乌拉
参考例句：
We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。 The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

19 ironical
adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的
参考例句：
That is a summary and ironical end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。 From his general demeanour I didn't get the impression that he was being ironical.从他整体的行为来看，我不觉得他是在讲反话。

20 persistently
ad.坚持地；固执地
参考例句：
He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。 She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

21 gallop
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展
参考例句：
They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。 The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

22 guffaws
n.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的名词复数 )v.大笑，狂笑( guffaw的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Harry even had to cover his face duck out of view to hide his uncontrolled guffaws. 哈里王子更是一发不可收拾，捂住脸，狂笑起来。 来自互联网

23 homely
adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的
参考例句：
We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。 Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭，好吗？

24 simplicity
n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯
参考例句：
She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。 The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

25 precisely
adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地
参考例句：
It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。 The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

26 vent
n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄
参考例句：
He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。 When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

27 sob
n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣
参考例句：
The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。 The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。