历届美国总统介绍:第12任总统 扎卡里泰勒

 　　Zachary Taylor was the United States' 12th President. He was born in Virginia in 1784 and taken as an infant to Kentucky to be raised on a plantation¹. He lived in a small wood cabin, before moving to a brick house as a result of his family's increased prosperity. He shared the house with seven brothers and sisters. Since there were no schools on the Kentucky frontier, Taylor had only a basic education.

　　扎卡里·泰勒是美国第12任总统。1784年，泰勒出生在弗吉尼亚州，不久，由于举家搬迁，泰勒来到了肯塔基，并在父亲的种植园里长大。随着泰勒家族的日益繁荣，他们搬进了砖房，在此之前，泰勒住的是小木屋。泰勒和七个兄弟姐妹住在一起。由于肯塔基边境没有学校，泰勒只接受过基础教育。

　　Taylor joined the U.S. Army in 1808. He was promoted to captain in 1810 and in 1812, he successfully defended Indiana's Fort Harrison from attack by Native Americans. He spent the next three decades winning major military victories, including the Battle of Buena Vista² in 1847 during the Mexican-American War. This last battle elevated him to being a national hero and compared with George Washington.

　　1808年，泰勒加入了美国军队。1810年和1812年，他被提升为上尉，并在印第安纳州的哈里逊堡成功击退了印第安人的进攻。在接下来的30年里，他赢得了重大的军事胜利，其中包括1847年美墨战争中的维斯塔战役。最后一场战役——维斯塔战役使他成为了美国的民族英雄，堪比乔治·华盛顿。

　　扎卡里·泰勒.jpgTaylor decided³ to enter politics in 1848. With his reputation as a war hero and his straight talking, he won the 1848 presidential election. The slavery issue dominated much of Taylor's term in office, especially because he owned 100 slaves. He advised California and New Mexico to apply for statehood. Southern leaders threatened to break away from the Union as the new states would reject bills allowing slavery.

　　1848年，泰勒决定从政。因为他既是战神，说话又直言不讳，于是被选为了1848年美国总统。泰勒在任期间的主导问题是奴隶制问题——他当时拥有100个奴隶。他主张给予加利福尼亚和新墨西哥州的地位。南方领导人威胁要脱离联邦，成立一个无奴隶制的新国家。

　　Taylor stood firm against the possible rebellion. He said he would personally lead the Army in a fight against them and hang "persons taken in rebellion…with less reluctance⁴ than…hanged deserters and spies in Mexico". He never wavered, but events took an unexpected turn. He died in 1850 as a compromise was being drafted. The conflict he warned of started eleven years later – the American Civil War.

　　泰勒坚决抵制这潜在叛乱。他说他会亲自带领军队攻打他们，还要绞杀“叛兵……以比绞杀墨西哥逃兵和间谍……更不容懈怠的精神。”对此，他从未动摇过，然而事情又发生了意想不到的变化。1850年，正当和解协议起草期间，泰勒逝世了。11年后，这场泰勒警示过的冲突又重新燃起——美国内战爆发。

1 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

2 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。