the food simply local cheese accompanied by bread often twelve months old, all washed down with coarse wine.

食物是当地的干酪和通常存放了一年之久的面包，人们就着劣酒吞下这种食物。

Many firms, for instance, have great difficulty in obtaining technical or scientific books from libraries

比如，很多公司向图书馆借阅科技书籍时感到很困难，

and slipping through we no longer take omens from their flight on this side and that; and even the most superstitious villagers no longer take off their hats to the magpie and wish it good-morning.

这些鸟对我们是有益的，虽然我们不再从它们的飞翔姿态来占卜吉凶，连最迷信的村民也不再对喜鹊脱帽行礼，祝它早安了。

and zoomorphic animal shapes ablaze with red and gold and blue,

还有用红色、金黄色、蓝色绘制的光彩夺目的兽形图案，

If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction,

如果家长对青少年的这种反应有思想准备，

and another 700 for the survivors to be reduced by half again.

剩下的一半人再过700年，才会又减少一半。