BBC英国史

No one knew it at the time,but the tightly-packed streets, alleys and houses of a place like Bristol made a perfect factory farm for the bacillus.

当时没人了解这种疾病 但像布里斯托尔这样街道 小巷及屋舍 都紧紧挤在一起的市镇 成为了杆菌上佳的培养皿

Vermin, crawling with fleas,lived alongside the crowded population of people and animals.

爬满跳蚤的害虫到处乱窜 和拥挤的人群及牲畜 共居一处

The nibble of a flea was a common irritation in this lousy, ant-heap world.

在这个藏污纳秽 人口密集的地方 跳蚤叮咬是很常见的烦恼

And even when the buboes appeared,there was no reason to suppose that fleas or rats were responsible.

即使之后出现了淋巴结炎 也没有丝毫理由怀疑 跳蚤和老鼠是罪魁祸首

But there was no doubt about what would happen next.

当然 结果可想而知

The youngest, the oldest and the poorest those with least resistance would be taken first.but then everyone else, too.

老人 小孩和穷人 这些抵抗力最低的人 首先死去 接下来 无人能幸免

In a town this ripe for infection,almost half the population would have perished in the first year.

这一个小镇的疫情 使得在第一年里 就有将近一半的人口死亡

Among them, 15 of Bristol's 52 city councillors,their names struck through as they died.

包括布里斯托尔52名市议员中的15人 他们的名字被划去 表示死亡

Terrified and bewildered,the healthy abandoned the sick to their fate.

惊恐又困惑的健康人 抛下了病患 任由他们自生自灭

Whole towns, villages, even families,were cruelly divided into the living and the dying.

城镇 村寨 甚至家族 都被残忍划分为活着和将死的人

Husbands would have shunned their wives,fathers and mothers recoiled from contact with their children.

丈夫躲避着妻子 父母不再愿意和自己孩子亲近

词汇解析

1、common

常见的;普遍的

His name was Hansen, a common name in Norway.

他的名字叫汉森，在挪威是一个常见的名字。

Oil pollution is the commonest cause of death for seabirds.

石油污染是造成海鸟死亡最常见的原因。

共有的;共同的

Moldavians and Romanians share a common language.

摩尔达维亚人和罗马尼亚人使用同一种语言。

Such behaviour is common to all young people.

这种行为在年轻人中司空见惯。

寻常的;普通的

Democracy might elevate the common man to a position of political superiority.

民主也许能提升普通人的政治地位，让他们产生优越感。

Common salt is made up of 40% sodium and 60% chloride.

食盐由40%的钠和60%的氯化物构成。

2、appear

好像;似乎;看来

There appears to be increasing support for the leadership to take a more aggressive stance.

好像有越来越多的人支持领导层采取更为强势的立场。

The aircraft appears to have crashed near Katmandu.

飞机似乎在加德满都附近坠毁了。

看起来；显得

She did her best to appear more self-assured than she felt.

她竭力让自己表现得比实际更自信。

He is anxious to appear a gentleman.

他急于想表现得像个绅士。

开始存在；产生

small white flowers which appear in early summer.

初夏时绽放的白色小花

Slogans have appeared on walls around the city.

标语已出现在全城周围的墙上。