美国西部探险 第5期:艰难的西迁之旅

 　　Chapter Four Let's Go West!

　　第四章 去西部！

　　After the Lewis and Clark expedition settlers, gold prospectors¹ and trappers went to the West.

　　在刘易斯和克拉克探险队之后，移居者，淘金者和捕兽者也去了西部。

　　The American frontier² was immense³.

　　美国的边境广袤无垠。

　　Settlers wanted to build homes and farms in the West. They wanted a better life.

　　移居者想要在西部建造房屋和农场。他们想要更好的生活。

　　Gold prospectors wanted to find gold and become rich.

　　淘金者想要找到金子变得富有。

　　Trappers wanted to hunt wild animals.

　　捕兽者想要捕猎野生动物。

　　This was an exciting period.

　　这是一个激动人心的时代。

　　In 1841 thousands of pioneers began their long journey.

　　在1841年，数千名拓荒者开始了他们的漫长旅途。

　　They started in Independence, Missouri.

　　他们开始于密苏里州的独立城。

　　From there they took the Oregon Trail or the Santa Fe Trail.

　　从这里，他们到了俄勒冈小路或圣非小路。

　　They traveled for four to six months.

　　他们旅行了4到6个月。

　　Most journeys began in the spring.

　　大多数旅途始于春天。

　　The pioneers wanted to arrive before winter.

　　拓荒者希望在冬天前抵达。

　　The pioneers traveled in covered wagons⁵ pulled by mules⁶ or oxen.

　　拓荒者坐着由骡子或牛拉的篷车。

　　They put food, clothes, furniture and other things in the covered wagon⁴.

　　他们把食物、衣服、家具和其他东西放在蓬车里。

　　A lot of families took cattle and sheep.

　　很多家庭带着牛和羊。

　　Many covered wagons traveled together. This was called a wagon train.

　　许多蓬车行走在一起。这就是马车队。

　　All the wagon trains had a leader called a captain.

　　所有马车队都有一个叫做队长的领导。

　　They also had a scout⁷. The scout knew the trail well.

　　他们还有一个侦察员，侦察员很了解路线。

　　He walked in front of the others to look for Indians or other dangers.

　　他走在其他人前面寻找着印第安人或其他危险。

　　The journey was long, difficult and dangerous.

　　旅途遥远，艰难又危险。

　　It was difficult to cross big rivers and tall mountains.

　　很难跨越大河和高山。

　　The weather was another problem.

　　天气又是另一个问题。

　　In the summer it was very hot. There was little water to drink.

　　夏天非常热，几乎没有可以饮用的水。

　　There was little grass for the animals to eat.

　　几乎没有草供动物吃。

　　Rain and snow were also a problem.

　　雨雪也是一个问题。

　　About 10,000 people died on the Oregon Trail between 1835 and 1845.

　　在1835年至1845年间，大约一万人死在了俄勒冈小路。

　　The Indians killed only 400 people!

　　印第安人只杀害了400人！

　　A TYPICAL DAY ON THE TRAIL

　　小路上的典型一天

　　5 a.m.: The pioneers got up and had breakfast. Then they began to travel.

　　早上5点：拓荒者起床吃早餐，然后他们开始了行程。

　　Midday: The pioneers and the animals rested. They drank water and ate.

　　中午：拓荒者和动物休息。他们喝水吃饭。

　　2 p.m.: The wagon trains began to travel again.

　　下午两点：马车队再次启程。

　　Sunset: At sunset the scout chose a campsite.

　　日落：日落时分，侦察员选择一个野营地。

　　The wagon train made a big circle to protect everyone from wild animals.

　　马车队围成一个大圈保护人们远离野生动物。

　　In the center of the circle there were campfires.

　　在圈子的中间生起篝火。

　　The pioneers sat around the campfires to eat and talk.

　　拓荒者围坐在篝火旁吃饭聊天。

　　They went to bed early because they were tired.

　　因为劳累，所以他们早早就睡觉了。

　　A day on the trail wasn't easy!

　　路上的一天并不简单！

1 prospectors   

n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The prospectors have discovered such minerals as calcite,quartz and asbestos here. 探矿人员在这里发现了方解石、石英、石棉等矿藏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The prospectors have discovered many minerals here. 探矿人员在这里发现了许多矿藏。 来自辞典例句

2 frontier   

n.国境，边境；尚待开发的领域

参考例句：

• The frontier station was starved for food and water.边防站急需食物和水。
• Areas near the frontier were rough and lawless in the old days. 过去边远地区混乱不堪，而且没有法律。

3 immense   

adj.巨大的；极好的

参考例句：

• They made an immense improvement in English.在英语方面他们取得了巨大的进步。
• The expense of living is immense.生活费用很庞大。

4 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

5 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

6 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。

7 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。