Ch2-Keep Walking

CHAPTER TWO Keep Walking Jack and Annie were wearing tunics with soft belts and lace-up sandals. A cloth bag had replaced Jack's backpack. He looked into the bag and saw his notebook, his pencil, and the bottle with the magic mist from the Isle of Avalon. "We wore clothes like these when we went to Pompeii," said Annie.

杰克和安妮穿着束着软腰带的束腰外衣和系带凉鞋。 一个布袋代替了杰克的背包。 他往包里看了看，看到了他的笔记本、铅笔和装着阿瓦隆岛神奇雾气的瓶子。 “我们去庞贝的时候就穿这样的衣服，”安妮说。

"Yeah, and when we went to the Greek Olympic Games," said Jack. "When you went to the games," said Annie. "They didn't let girls in, remember?" "Oh, right," said Jack. "You nearly caused a riot when you tried to sneak in." "It wasn't my fault," said Annie. Jack and Annie looked out the window together. The air felt dry and hot. The sun was directly overhead in a cloudless sky. The tree house was low to the ground, tucked into the spreading

“是啊，还有我们去希腊奥运会的时候，”杰克说。 “当你去看比赛的时候，”安妮说。 “他们不让女孩进来，记得吗？”“哦，对了，”杰克说。 “你想溜进去，差点引起一场骚乱。” “那不是我的错，”安妮说。 杰克和安妮一起向窗外望去。 空气又干又热。太阳直射在头顶，天空万里无云。 树屋离地很低，隐藏在树林里

branches of an olive tree. Donkeys and horses ambled up a winding dirt road. "This looks like a quiet, sleepy place," said Annie, "not fierce or warlike at all." "I wonder what Merlin meant," said Jack. He opened their book to the first page and read out loud: More than 2,300 years ago, Macedonia was a kingdom north of Greece. It was ruled by King Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. The brilliant and ferocious king was known far and wide for his military skills. "Ferocious king," Jack repeated. "Well, I guess that fits." "Don't worry, we have magic that gives us a great talent," said Annie. "So we can wish to have military skills, too." "I can't picture us having military skills," said Jack. "Come on, let's go look for Alexander the Great!" said Annie. She started down the rope

橄榄树的树枝。 驴和马在一条蜿蜒的土路上漫步。 “这看起来是一个安静、让人昏昏欲睡的地方，”安妮说，“一点也不激烈，一点也不好战。” “不知道梅林是什么意思。”杰克说。 他打开书的第一页，大声朗读：2300多年前，马其顿是希腊北部的一个王国。 它由国王菲利普二世，亚历山大大帝的父亲统治。 这位聪明而凶猛的国王以他的军事才能而闻名于世。 “凶残的国王。”杰克重复道。 “嗯，我想这很合适。” “别担心，我们有魔法，这给了我们很大的天赋，”安妮说。 “所以我们也可以希望拥有军事技能。” “我无法想象我们拥有军事技能，”杰克说。 “走吧，我们去找亚历山大大帝！”安妮说。 她开始顺着绳子往下走

ladder. Jack packed up the book and followed her. Several men on donkeys were riding by on the dirt road. Annie started to call out to them. "Don't," Jack whispered, stopping her. "People might ask us questions we can't answer." "But I only wanted to ask them where Alexander the Great lives," said Annie. "Let's just try to blend in first," said Jack, "until we know our way around." Annie sighed, but she kept quiet as she and Jack followed the donkeys up the dusty road. They passed rocky meadows dotted with cows, and small farmhouses with tiled roofs, chickens, and vineyards. They saw a shepherd tending sheep, a goat herder herding goats, and a farmer with a plow pulled by an ox. "Can we ask someone now?" Annie said. "Let's wait," said Jack. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves unless we have to." They kept walking. Soon they rounded some tall rocks. Beyond a stone wall was a huge field. Thousands of warriors were marching. "Yikes," said Annie. She and Jack stopped and stared at the warriors.

梯子。杰克把书收拾好跟在她后面。 几个人骑着驴在土路上经过。 安妮开始喊他们。 “别，”杰克小声说，阻止了她。 “人们可能会问我们无法回答的问题。” “但我只想问他们亚历山大大帝住在哪里，”安妮说。 “让我们先试着混进去，”杰克说，“直到我们熟悉周围的路。” 安妮叹了口气，但当她和杰克跟着驴子走上尘土飞扬的道路时，她保持沉默。 他们经过布满岩石的草地，草地上有奶牛，还有小农舍，屋顶铺着瓦片，还有鸡和葡萄园。 他们看见一个牧羊人在放羊，一个牧羊人在放羊，还有一个农夫在用牛拉着犁头。 “我们现在能问问别人吗？”安妮说。 “我们等等吧。”杰克说。“除非万不得已，否则我们不想引起别人的注意。” 他们继续往前走。很快，他们绕过了一些高大的岩石。 石墙后面是一片广阔的田野。 成千上万的战士在行军。 “哎呀，”安妮说。她和杰克停下来，盯着那些战士。

"That must be the king's army!" said Jack. The foot soldiers wore armor and helmets with tall crests. In one hand, each man carried an oval shield. In the other hand, each held a long, pointed spear. Behind the foot soldiers were rows of soldiers on horses. "They're just practicing, right?" said Annie. "I hope so," said Jack. "I don't see any enemies." He pulled out the research book and found a chapter called "The King's Army." He read aloud: At the time of King Philip II, Macedonia was threatened on all sides, by frontier tribes as well as the Persian army. King Philip II drilled his men night and day, until his army became the best fighting machine in the known world. Jack looked at the soldiers again. They marched to the right and then the left. The front row of soldiers pointed their spears forward. The other rows pointed their spears up in the air. All the men

“那一定是国王的军队！”杰克说。 步兵们穿着盔甲，戴着有高冠的头盔。 每个人一手拿着一个椭圆形的盾牌。 另一只手里各拿着一支又长又尖的长矛。 步兵后面是一排排骑马的士兵。 “他们只是在练习，对吧？”安妮说。 “我希望如此。”杰克说。“我没有看到任何敌人。” 他拿出一本研究书，找到一章叫做“国王的军队”。 他大声念道：在国王菲利普二世统治时期，马其顿受到来自边境部落和波斯军队的四面八方的威胁。 国王菲利普二世日夜训练他的士兵，直到他的军队成为世界上最好的战斗机器。 杰克又看了看士兵们。 他们先向右走，然后向左走。 前排的士兵将长矛指向前方。 其他几排人把长矛举向空中。 所有的男人

moved in perfect unison, their helmets, shields, and spears flashing in the sunlight. "They do look like a fighting machine," said Annie. Jack thought they looked more like a monstrous insect with thousands of legs and spikes sticking out of its body. He shivered. "Let's get away from this place," he said. Jack and Annie headed farther up the dusty road. Finally, beyond a grove of olive trees, they came to a walled town. Above the town a white mansion sat on a hilltop. "Maybe that's where King Philip the Second of Macedonia and Alexander the Great live," said Annie, pointing at the mansion. Jack and Annie walked through the town gate and headed toward a market square. On the street leading to the square, a group of boys were swordfighting with sticks. "Hello—" Annie called. "Don't," said Jack. It was too late. The boys stopped fighting and stared at them. "Does King Philip of Macedonia live on that hill?" Annie asked, pointing to the columned

他们步调一致，头盔、盾牌和长矛在阳光下闪闪发光。 “它们看起来确实像战斗机器，”安妮说。 杰克觉得它们看起来更像一只长着数千条腿和尖刺的巨型昆虫。 他不禁打了个哆嗦。“我们离开这个地方吧，”他说。 杰克和安妮在尘土飞扬的路上继续往前走。 最后，他们越过一片橄榄树林，来到一座有城墙的城镇。 小镇上方的山顶上矗立着一座白色的大厦。 “也许那就是马其顿国王菲利普二世和亚历山大大帝住的地方，”安妮指着那座豪宅说。 杰克和安妮穿过城门，朝一个集市广场走去。 在通往广场的街道上，一群男孩正在用棍棒斗剑。 “你好——”安妮叫道。“不要，”杰克说。 太迟了。男孩们停止了打斗，盯着他们看。 “马其顿的菲利普国王住在那座山上吗？”安妮指着柱子问