Paras. 7-9

7 In this broadcast I said:

8 "The Nazi regime is devoid of all theme and principle except appetite and racial domination. It excels all forms of human wickedness in the efficiency of its cruelty and ferocious aggression. I see the Russian soldiers standing on the threshold of their native land, guarding the fields which their fathers have tilled from time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes where mothers and wives pray-ah, yes, for there are times when all pray-for the safety of their loved ones, the return of the bread-winner, of their champion, of their protector. I see the ten thousand villages of Russia where the means of existence is wrung so hardly from the soil, but where there are still primordial human joys, where maidens laugh and children play. I see advancing upon all this in hideous onslaught the Nazi war machine, with its clanking, heel-clicking, dandified Prussian officers, its crafty expert agents fresh from the cowing and tying down of a dozen countries. I see also the dull, drilled, docile, brutish masses of the Hun soldiery plodding on like a swarm of crawling locusts. I see the German bombers and fighters in the sky, still smarting from many a British whipping, delighted to find what they believe is an easier and a safer prey.

9 "Behind all this glare, behind all this storm, I see that small group of villainous men who plan, organise, and launch this cataract of horrors upon mankind...

Q1: What do paragraphs 7-11 tell?

A1: They are on the determination of the British government to fight Nazi regime.

Q2: What do paragraphs 7-9 mainly talk about?

A2: They are on the nature of Nazi regime.

Q3: How do you paraphrase the following knowledge points?

1. The Nazi regime is devoid of all theme... racial domination. (Para.8)

The Nazi state does not have any ideal or guiding principle at all. All it has is a strong desire for conquest and rule by the Aryan race, the allegedly most superior race in the world.

1) devoid (of): completely without; destitute or empty of

2) theme: a recurring, unifying subject or idea

3) appetite: very strong desire; an intense and prolonged desire

2. It excels all forms of human wickedness... aggression. (Para.8)

The Nazi regime is very cruel and it invades other countries in a most savage way. It can carry out its cruel invasions so effectively that it beats/surpasses any action of this kind in human history; the Nazi regime is very effective in cruel suppression of and savage attack on other countries; in this respect it is worse than any other known form of evil.

3.… which their fathers have tilled from time immemorial. (Para.8)

1) "Fathers” refers to forefathers, ancestors.

2) till:(literary) to work the soil for the production of crops, as by plowing, harrowing, hoeing, sowing. etc.

3) immemorial: extending back beyond memory; ancient

4.… ah, yes for there are times... (Para.8)

There are (critical) times when everyone, without exception, will pray.

5.. for the safety of their loved ones... protector. (Para.8)

"The bread-winner,” their champion,” their protector” all refer to the same person because they are all in the singular.

6…. where the means of existence is wrung so hardly from the soil... (Para.8)

where people have to work very hard on the land in order to keep the family going.

1) wring: to get by force/threats/persistence, etc.

2) hardly: with effort or difficulty. Usually "hardly” means "only just."

e.g. We hardly know them.

She was so nervous she could hardly speak.

Hardly any people came to the lecture.

He hardly ever watches TV.

7.. but where there are still primordial... children play. (Para.8)

Although life is hard, people still enjoy basic human pleasures; life is hard but it is still not without the kind of human pleasures that are shared by all.

primordial: existing at or from the beginning; basic

8. maiden (Para.8)

a girl or young unmarried woman

9. I see advancing upon all this... Prussian officers... (Para.8)

I can see the Nazi army launching violent attacks on all this.

1) The object of "see" is "the Nazi war machine advancing upon all this”; "all this” refers to the villages, the peasants and their primordial joys.

2) clanking:(onomatopoeia) referring to the metallic sound made by the swords and sabres (in scabbards) worn by the officers

3) heel-clicking: "Clicking" is onomatopoeia again, referring to the noise made by the boots of the officers coming to attention and shouting "Heil Hitler."

4) dandified: referring to the uniforms with shoulder-boards, insignia, decorations., etc. A dandy is a man who cares too much about his clothes and appearance; it has a negative connotation.

5) Prussian officers: The core of the officers of the Wehrmacht (the armed forces of Nazi Germany) was Prussian.

10.… its crafty expert agents fresh... countries. (Para.8)

the Secret Service agents who specialize in genocide and who have just accomplished the task of crushing and enslaving a dozen countries

1) fresh: recently returned

2) tie down: (obsolete) to reduce to bondage; to enslave Note: Hitler assigned a unit of Secret Service men to every army unit, with express orders to annihilate a large portion of the population.

11. I see also the dull, drilled, docile... crawling locusts. (Para.8)

The German soldiers are stupid, obedient, easy to manage, savage. They move on in massive formation from one place to another, sowing destruction and death, just like a large crowd of moving locusts, eating up everything in the fields. Churchill uses an apt simile, comparing the German soldiers to locusts because they have one thing in common-the spreading of destruction.

Notice words used in describing German officers & soldiers: "clanking, heel-licking, dandified Prussian officers," "dull, drilled, docile, brutish masses of the Hun soldiery" Alliterations with the rhythm produce a kind of image: The use of

"dull, drilled, docile" brings out soldiers devoid of principle, obedient and trained, members of a war machine. Their destructive power is similar to "a swarm of crawling locusts."

12. I see the German bombers and fighters... safer prey. (Para.8)

The Luftwaffe (the Nazi air force) has suffered severe losses in the aerial Battle of England. Now they feel happy because they think they can easily beat the Russian air force without heavy loss.

1) smart: to feel pain and resentment

2)"Many a/an/another" followed by a singular noun or pronoun is equivalent to many followed by the corresponding plural.

3) whipping: (informal) defeat

13. Behind all this glare, behind all the storm... upon mankind... (Para.9)

Behind all this hostility and fighting I see that small group of wicked men who make the world suffer untold miseries and unparalleled disasters.

1) glare: a rather vague term, referring perhaps to "hostile, fierce looks" or "hatred"

2) storm: fighting; war

3) launch this cataract of horrors: to let off a flood of horrors

Paras. 10

10 "I have to declare the decision of His Majesty's Government--and I feel sure it is a decision in which the Great Dominions will in due course concur-for we must spread out now at once, without a day's delay. I have to make the declaration, but can you doubt what our policy will be? We have but one aim and one single, irrevocable purpose. We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of the Nazi regime. From this nothing will turn us-nothing. We will never parley, we will never negotiate with Hitler or any of his gang. We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air, until, with God's help, we have rid the earth of his shadow and liberated its peoples from his yoke. Any man or state who fights on against Nazidom will have our aid. Any man or state who marches with Hitler is our foe. That is our policy and that is our declaration. It follows therefore that we shall give whatever help we can to Russia and the Russian people. We shall appeal to all our friends and allies in every part of the world to take the same course and pursue it, as we shall faithfully and steadfastly to the end...

Q1: What does this paragraph tell?

A1: It is on the determination of Britain to fight Nazi regime.

Q2: How do you paraphrase the following knowledge points?

1.… and I feel sure it is a decision... concur... (Para.10)

I am sure that our Dominions will agree with us at the appropriate time. Churchill does not declare the decision in the name of the Dominions because they are independent governments and Churchill does not have the power to declare war in their names. If Churchill wants to declare war in their names, he has to consult them beforehand. Since he must make known the decision at once and there is no time for consultation, he has to declare the decision in the name of the British government.

1) in due course; at the right time

2) due: suitable; fittings proper

3) concur: to agree (with)

2. We are resolved to destroy Hitler... regime. (Para.10)

1) be resolved: to be firm and fixed in purpose

2) vestige: a trace, mark, or sign of something that once existed but has passed away or disappeared

3) From Hitler, a single man, to the whole regime and not only the regime but every sign showing there once existed such a regime (showing his determination).

3. From this nothing will turn us-nothing. (Para.10)

There is nothing which can head us off from this purpose or divert our attention.

The inversion of the sentence order and the repetition of the word "nothing” are for emphasis.

4. parley (Para.10)

discussion of terms for armistice, etc.; have a conference or discussion, especially with an enemy

5…. rid the earth of his shadow and liberated its peoples from his yoke. (Para.10)

to free the world from Hitler's domination and to liberate all peoples from his control

1) rid (of): to free as from a burden or annoyance or something undesirable

2) shadow: the very strong power or influence of someone

3) yoke: control; a crushing burden

6. It follows therefore. (Para.10):

follow: to happen as a necessary result of

e.g. Disease often follows war.

Just because he is at the bottom of the class, it doesn't follow that he has no brains; he may just be lazy.

That conclusion by no means follows.

If one writes poetry, it naturally follows that one must understand poetry.

7…. to take the same course… to the end... (Para.10)

to adopt the same attitude and policy and keep to it

1) as we shall... to the end: "Pursue" is the verb of this clause.

2) pursue: to follow persistently

3) steadfastly: unswervingly; unchangingly