3. The Abbot was working in an abbeyof a small coastal town. The Abbot had become increasingly concerned about the number of ships that were being wrecked upon a small rocky island just beyond the Firth of Tay. The island was so small it was not well visible to the eye of sailors, so many ships crashed into it. 哥哥的修道院坐落在一个沿海小镇。这位修道院院长越来越关心因撞上恰好位于泰河湾外的一个礁石小岛而沉没的船只数量。这座小岛如此之小，以至于很难被水手看见，因此许多途经的船只会与之相撞。4. “What could be done”, wondered the Abbot, “to protect shipping and the lives of the sailors?” He called for a meeting between ship owners and leading citizens of the town. After some lengthy discussions, it was decided that a large bell be fixed onto the island. The ringing of the bell in the wind would alert the crewmenaboard the vessels of the dangers lying ahead. “可以采取什么样的措施，”修道院院长想知道，“来保护船只的安全航行和水手的生命？”于是，在他的呼吁下，召开了一次由船主和镇子里的重要人物参加的会议。经过长时间的讨论，会议决定在这座礁石小岛上安装一个大铃铛。铃声随风响起，会让途经船只上的船员警觉到前方的危险。
abbey (noun)英 /ˈæbi/ 美 /ˈæbi/ 大修道院，大寺院；修道院中全体修士或修女coastal (adj.)英 /ˈkəʊstl/ 美 /ˈkoʊstl/ 沿海的；海岸的wrecked (verb)英 /rekt/ 美 /rekt/ 破坏；毁灭；（使）船舶失事；（使）遭遇沉船；毁船打劫；遭遇（船舶）失事；拆除（wreck 的过去式及过去分词）Firth (noun)英 /fɜːθ/ 美 /fɜːrθ/ （尤用于苏格兰地名）狭长海湾lengthy (adj.)英 /ˈleŋθi/ 美 /ˈleŋθi/ 漫长的，冗长的；alert (verb)英 /əˈlɜːt/ 美 /əˈlɜːrt/ 使警觉，警告；使意识到crewmen (noun)英 /ˈkruːmən/ 美 /ˈkruːmən/ 乘务员，船员（通常指男性）aboard (adv.)英 /əˈbɔːd/ 美 /əˈbɔːrd/ 在（飞机、火车、船）上；骑在（马）上；（喻）新入伙；（棒球）在垒上vessels (noun)英 /'ves(ə)lz/ 美 /'vɛslz/ 血管（vessel的复数）；船舶；容器
5. In three months they had sufficient funds with which to purchase a great bronze bell from a bell foundry in Amsterdam. In a short time, the bell was in place on the island; hymnswere sung, prayers were said and the bell was blessed. 用了不到三个月时间，他们便筹集到了足够的资金，从阿姆斯特丹的铃铛铸造厂购买了一个大铜铃。很快，这个铃铛便在这座小岛上安装就位了。赞美诗唱起，祈祷词念起，铃铛承载起人们的祝福。6. A banquet had been prepared to celebrate the Abbot and the successful placement of the bell. The Abbot gave thanks for God’s guidance. Many disasters would be averted and more importantly, lives would be saved. The little rocky island became known to mariners as ‘The Bell Rock’. 人们筹备起一场盛宴，来庆祝修道院院长提议的落实以及铃铛的成功安置。修道院院长感谢了上帝的指引。许多灾难可以因此避免，更重要的是，人的生命可以得到挽救。这座礁石小岛被水手们称为“贝尔礁”（Bell Rock）。
funds (noun) 美 /fʌndz/ [会计] 资金，现金（fund的复数）；基金bronze (adj.)英 /brɒnz/ 美 /brɑːnz/ 青铜色的；青铜制的foundry (noun)英 /ˈfaʊndri/ 美 /ˈfaʊndri/ 铸造，铸造类；[机] 铸造厂hymns (noun)美 /hɪmz/ 赞美诗；圣诗banquet (noun)英 /ˈbæŋkwɪt/ 美 /ˈbæŋkwɪt/ 宴会，盛宴；宴请，款待averted (verb)英 /ə'vɜːtɪd/ 避免（avert的过去分词）；转开mariners (noun) 西雅图水手；水手
7. Meanwhile, far away in the warm climate of the Mediterranean, the younger brother was robbing and pillaging ships and towns along the Coast of North Africa. The news of his brother’s work he greeted with scornand disdain. He laughingly claimed that he put the fear of God into more people in a month than the worthyAbbot would in his lifetime! Nevertheless, he was irritated that the humble priest was receiving praise. He planned to do something about it.与此同时，远在温暖的地中海上，弟弟正在劫掠北非沿岸的船只和城镇。对于他哥哥工作方面的消息，他简直嗤之以鼻。他笑着宣称道，他一个月内会让更多的人对上帝产生敬畏之心，比那位可敬的修道院院长一辈子能做到的都多！然而，令他恼火的是，那位卑微的牧师正接受着人们的赞扬。他计划为此做点儿什么。8. Six weeks later, the pirate ship, loaded with booty, dropped its anchor in the firth near the Bell Rock island. The captain rowed to the island with six of his crew. Once there, it took less than ten minutes to unhook the bell and roll it into the sea! It sank silently, disappearing below the waves. The captain gazed at the spot and said almost to himself, “The next visitors to Bell rock island won’t be blessing the Abbot!”. 六个星期后，载满战利品的海盗船停靠在临近贝尔岩的河湾内。船长和他的六名船员一起划船来到这座礁石岛上。登上小岛后，他们只用了不到十分钟便摘下那个铃铛，并将其推入海中！铃铛开始静静地下沉，消失在海浪之下。船长凝视着眼前的这幕场景，几乎自言自语道：“以后途经贝尔岩的人们，不会再祝福那个修道院院长了！”
climate (noun)英 /ˈklaɪmət/ 美 /ˈklaɪmət/ 气候；风气；思潮；风土mediterranean (adj.)英 /ˌmedɪtəˈreɪniən/ 美 /ˌmedɪtəˈreɪniən/地中海的pillaging (verb) 美 /ˈpɪlɪdʒɪŋ/（尤指在战争中）掠夺，掠夺scorn (noun)英 /skɔːn/ 美 /skɔːrn/轻蔑；嘲笑；藐视的对象disdain (noun)英 /dɪsˈdeɪn/ 美 /dɪsˈdeɪn/蔑视worthy (adj.)英 /ˈwɜːði/ 美 /ˈwɜːrði/值得的；有价值的；配得上的，相称的；可尊敬的；应…的humble (adj.)英 /ˈhʌmbl/ 美 /ˈhʌmbl/谦逊的；简陋的；（级别或地位）低下的；不大的booty (noun)英 /ˈbuːti/ 美 /ˈbuːti/战利品；赃物；获得之物；rowed (verb)划船，划桨（row的过去式）crew (noun)英 /kruː/ 美 /kruː/队，组；全体人员，全体船员unhook (verb)英 /ʌnˈhʊk/ 美 /ʌnˈhʊk/解开；从钩上取下blessing (noun)英 /ˈblesɪŋ/ 美 /ˈblesɪŋ/祝福；赐福；祷告
