不打板球了(英中对照)

古德明《征服英语》之英语军事故事，古德明，香港英语教育作家，他开了一个《征服英语专栏》，在专栏中专门用英语写了世界近代史上的军事小故事，用英语讲述历史中那些惊心动魄的战争。
不打板球了
on 8 april 1940, the 1345-ton british destroyer glowworm encountered in the north sea the 10000-ton german cruiser hipper. although hopelessly outgunned, gerald roope, the glowworm's commanding officer, accepted the fight. he charged in, but all ten of his torpedoes missed, and long before the glowworm's guns were within range, the hipper was pouring shells at the destroyer, which soon became a blazing inferno.
roope then decided, to the germans' amazement, to ram the cruiser. the glowworm hit at full force and embedded her bows solidly into the hipper. the german captain manoeuvred frantically to release his unwanted visitor, and finally had to train all the guns that would bear to blast the destroyer from his side. one survivor remembers roope, a keen cricketer, saying"i don't suppose we'll play much cricket again" as he went down with his ship.

一九四○年四月八日，一千三百四十五吨的英国驱逐舰萤火虫号在北海遇上一万吨的德国巡洋舰希珀号。虽然强弱悬殊，萤火虫号指挥官哲罗德．鲁普并不避战，驾舰进攻，但所有的十个水雷都没有命中。而萤火虫号还未开到可以炮击敌舰的射程，早已在希珀号连珠似的炮弹之下，陷入烈火之中。
德军想不到的，是鲁普决定撞向敌舰。萤火虫号全力一撞，船头牢牢插入希珀号船身。希珀号舰长慌忙操船左右摆动，希望甩掉这不速之客，最后得动用全部用得上的大炮，把咬着船舷的萤火虫号轰脱。一名生还者记得，热爱板球的鲁普和萤火虫号一起下沉时，说了一句话：「看来我们不再会常常打板球了。」