After Reading

1. Useful Expressions

1.    骄兵必败                           pride comes before a fall

2.    战无不胜                           nothing could stand in their way

3.    奋勇抵抗                           fierce resistance

4.    阴冷凄苦的俄罗斯寒冬      a raw, bitter, bleak Russian winter

5.    堪称无敌                           be unequaled

6.    向…发动进攻                    launch an attack against…

7.    痛苦的教训                        a painful lesson

8.    速决速胜                           a quick, decisive victory

9.    让某人吃惊的是                 to sb.'s surprise

10.  面临着一个重要抉择          be faced with a crucial decision

11.  孤注一掷                           take the gamble

12.  激战                                  fierce battle

13.  向…提出停战                    offer a truce to

14.  等待时机                           bide one’s time

15.  成为一场噩梦                    turn into a nightmare

16.  拖着脚步行进                    drag on

17.  溃不成军的幸存者             the tattered survivors               

18.  不宣而战                           without a declaration of war

19.  闪电式战略                     lightning war

20.  “焦土”政策                      “scorch the earth”

21.  处境变得危急                    the situation becomes desperate

22.  食品匮乏                     food runs out

23.  死于饥饿与疾病           die from hunger and disease

24.  食品和补给的匮乏          a lack of food and supplies

## 2. Spot Dictation  

(Directions): Listen to the following passage and fill in the missing words.

In the spring of 1812, Napoleon ______(1) an army of six hundred thousand men on the borders ofRussia. The soldiers were well trained, _____(2), and well equipped. Shortly afterwards, Napoleon’s army crossed the Neman River intoRussia. In August, the French and Russian armies______ (3) at Smolensk, in a battle that left over ten thousand dead on each side. Napoleon________ (4) of pressing on to Moscow, 448 kilometers away. On September 7, 1812, the French and Russian armies met in fierce battle at Borodino, 112 kilometers west of Moscow. Again, the Russian army retreated to safety. Napoleon had a clear path to Moscow, but the _____(5) of the city became an empty victory. Napoleon soon realized he could not feed, clothe, and _____(6) his army in Moscow during the winter. In October 1812, he ordered his Grand Army to retreat from Moscow. At the Berezina River, the Russians nearly trapped the retreating French by burning the bridges over the _____(7) river. But Napoleon, by a stroke of luck, was able to build two new bridges. Thousands of French soldiers escaped, but at the cost of fifty thousand dead. Once across the Berezina, the _____(8) survivors limped toward Vilna.

(= 1. assembled  2. efficient 3. engaged   4. took the gamble 5. occupation  6. quarter  7. swollen   8. tattered)

3. Blank Filling

(Directions:  Fill in each blank in the following paragraph with the appropriate words and phrases from the text.)

When Hitler decided to launch his ______(1) ofRussia, he thought that nothing could _______ ______ _____ _____(2) of his armies. ______(3), it seemed, was inevitable. He had surprise on his side, _____Stalin ______ ______ _______(4) by _____(5) his attack without a ______(6) of war. Hitler expected the ______(7) to last only a few months. In the event, it was to ______(8) for much longer. Like Napoleon before him, he had made a fatal mistake in failing to _____ ____(9) the severity of the Russian weather. Many German soldiers were to ______ ______(10) the cold as winter set in, ______the German advance_____ _____ _____(11)．

(= 1. invasion  2. stand in the way  3. Conquest  4. catching … off his guard         5. launching  6. declaration  7. campaign  8. drag on  9. reckon with 10. die from   11. bringing … to a halt)

4. Discussion

 (Directions: Translate the following Napoleon’s quotations and discuss his characters with your partner.)

The man who has made up his mind to win will never say “impossible”.

凡是决心取得胜利的人是从来不说“不可能的”。

I succeeded because I willed it; I never hesitated.

我成功是因为我有决心，从不踌躇。

To really understand a man we must judge him in misfortune.              

要真正了解一个人，需在不幸中考察他。

He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.

怕吃败仗的人必然要打败仗。

If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter, and consequently less inhuman.

如果打仗，就要毫不留情地全力去打。这是缩短战争的唯一方法，因而也可以减少战争的残酷。

There is a moment in every battle at which the least maneuver is decisive and gives superiority as one drop of water causes overflow.

在每一场战争中，都有那么一刻，运用一点策略就是决定性的并带来优势，正如加一滴水就可以促成溢流一般。

5. Talk about the Pictures

6. Writing Practice