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３月１４日出題分
あまりなじみの無い単語・熟語をちょっと解説。
Seven Years in Tibet :
Into Tibet-1My plan was to seize the first opportunity to slip over the frontier again into Tibet. We were all of us convinced that the minor officials we had hitherto encountered were simply not competent to decide about our case. This time we had to approach some higher authority. To find what we wanted, we should have to go to Gartok, the capital of Western Tibet, which was the seat of the governor of the region.
So we marched down the great, much used trade road a few miles till we came to the first Indian village. This was Namgya. Here we could stay without arousing suspicion, as we had come from Tibet and not from the plains of India. We passed ourselves off as American soldiers, bought fresh supplies, and slept in the public resthouse. Then we separated. Aufschnaiter and Treipel went down the trade road that flanked the Sutlej, while Kopp and I drove our donkey into a valley that ran in a northerly direction toward a pass that led over into Tibet. As we knew from our maps, we had first to go through the Spiti Valley, which was inhabited. I was very glad that Kopp had attached himself to me, as he was a clever, practical, and cheerful companion, and his vein of Berlin wit never petered out.
seize：（機会を）捉える
slip：忍び込む
convince：確信させる
hitherto：今まで
competent：許容される
Gartok：地名
seat：所在地
Namgya：地名
plain：平原
passed ourselves off as 〜：〜で通した
Aufschnaiter・Treipel・Kopp：人名
flank：沿う
Sutlej：川の名前
inhabited：人の住んでいる
attached himself to 〜：〜に加入する、参加する
vein：気質、特質
petered out：尽きた