1. Alfred the Great acted his own spy， visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel.
阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦军队的营地里侦察。
disguised as 伪装成……，例如：
The butterfly disguised itself as a piece of leaf，so I didn't find it.
那只蝴蝶伪装成树叶，所以我没有找到。
visiting是现在分词作伴随状语。
2. They were not fighting men， and their harp was their passport.
他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。
passport通行证，这个词有比较形象，是隐喻的手法。
3. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth， and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.
阿尔弗德年轻时学过许多民歌，并能穿插演一些杂技和小魔术使自己的节目多样化。
in his youth 在他年轻时。
a man in his twenties 一名二十多岁的男子。
4.While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney， the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum， the commander of the Danish invaders.
阿尔弗雷德人数不多的军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦入侵司令官古瑟罗姆的营地。
set out to 打算，着手
John set out that day to hunt for work.
约翰那天外出找工作。
She set out to break the world land speed record.
她决心要打破陆上速度的世界纪录。
5.There had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went.
丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营准备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。
settle down 定居，平静下来，专心于
He settled down to marking the examination papers.
他定下心来批阅试卷。
He's just a drifter he can't settle down anywhere.
他不过是个流浪汉—哪儿也呆不住。
