VOA慢速英语 2007 1025b

VOICE ONE:

This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Sarah Long with the MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history of the United¹ States. Today, we tell about early Native Americans.

VOICE ONE:

Scientists believe that the native peoples of America came here thousands of years ago during the last ice age.  These people settled² the land from the cold northern areas to the extreme³ end of South America. 

As the groups of people settled different parts of the land, they developed their own languages, their own cultures and their own religions.  Each group's story is important in the history of the Americas.  However, it is perhaps the tribes⁵ of the central part of the United States that are most recognized.  They will be our story today.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

 
Merriwether Lewis and William Clark

In eighteen-oh-four, Merriwether Lewis and William Clark led a group of explorers⁶ to the Pacific Ocean.  They were the first educated⁷ Americans to see some of the native tribes of the Great Plains. 

And they were the first white people these Native American people had ever seen.

When the group of explorers neared the eastern side of the great Rocky⁸ Mountains, they met with a tribe⁴ of Indians called the Shoshoni.  Merriwether Lewis was the first to see them. 

Let us imagine we are with Merriwether Lewis near the Rocky Mountains almost two hundred years ago.  Across a small hill, a group of sixty Shoshoni men are riding toward⁹ us.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The first thing we see is that these men are ready for war. Each is armed with a bow and arrows¹⁰.  Some carry long poles with a sharp knife on the end.

They are riding very fast.  Some horses seem to be without riders¹².  But a closer look shows that the men are hanging off the sides, or under the horse’s neck.  They are using the horses' bodies as protection¹³.

The horses are painted with many different designs that use blue, black, red or other colors.  Later we learn that each design has a special meaning for the man who owns the horse.  Each one tells a story.

For example, the man riding one horse is a leader during battle. Another has killed an enemy in battle.  One of the designs protects the horse and rider¹¹.

VOICE TWO:

As they come nearer, the Shoshoni group sees that we are not ready for war.  They slow their horses but are still very careful. Merriwether Lewis holds up a open hand as a sign of peace.  The leader of the Shoshoni does the same.  They come closer.

The Shoshoni are dressed in clothes made from animal skin. Most of these skins are from deer or the American buffalo¹⁴.  The shirts they wear have many designs, and tell stories like the designs on the horses.  One shows a man has fought in a battle.  Another shows a man has been in many raids¹⁵ to capture¹⁶ horses.  Still another shows the man saved the life of a friend.

VOICE ONE:

Captain Lewis smiles at these men.  He again makes a hand sign that means¹⁷ peace.  The signs are now returned.  Lewis and the Shoshoni chief cannot speak each other's language.  They can communicate using hand signs.

VOICE TWO:

One young Shoshoni man comes near.  He drops to the ground from his horse.  He is tall and looks strong.  His hair is black in color and long.  He wears one long bird feather in the back of his hair. Some of his hair is held in place by animal fur. 

His arms have been painted with long lines.  We learn that each line represents¹⁸ a battle.  There are many lines.  But we leave the Shoshoni without him adding another one.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The Shoshoni were only one of many tribes of native people who lived in the Great Plains area.  The life, culture and society of these tribes developed because of the land that was their home.

The Great Plains today is still huge.  Even in a car, traveling at one hundred kilometers an hour, it can take two long days of driving to cross the Great Plains.  The plains reach from several hundred kilometers north in Canada across the middle of the continent to Mexico in the south.

In the East, the Great Plains begin near the Mississippi River and go west to the huge Rocky Mountains.  It is the center of the United States.  There are big rivers here, deserts and mountains.  Other areas are so flat that a person can see for hundreds of kilometers.  Millions of kilometers of this land were once covered by a thick ocean of grass.

VOICE TWO:

 
'Buffalo Lancing in the Snow Drifts¹⁹ -- Sioux' by artist George Catlin 
The grass provided²⁰ food for an animal that made possible the culture of the Indians of the Great Plains.  The grass fed the bison²¹, the American buffalo.

The buffalo was the center of native Indian culture in the Great Plains.  The huge animal provided meat for the Indians.  But it was much more than just food.  It was an important part of the religion of most of the native people in the Great Plains.

The Lakota tribe is one of the people of the Great Plains.  The Lakota are sometimes called the Sioux.  They believed that everything necessary to life was within the buffalo.  Another Plains tribe, the Blackfeet, called the animal "My home and my protection."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The back of the huge buffalo provided thick skin that was used to make homes for the Plains Indians.  Other parts were made into clothing.  Still other parts became warm blankets.  Buffalo bones were made into tools.  Nothing of the animal was wasted.

No one knows how many buffalo were in North America when Merriwether Lewis first met the Shoshoni.  But experts say it was probably between sixty million to seventy-five million.

VOICE TWO:

Another animal also helped make possible the Indian cultures of the Great Plains.  Native Americans first called these animals mystery dogs, or big dogs.  They had no word for this animal in their language.  We know it as the horse.

No horses existed in North America before the Spanish arrived in the fifteen hundreds in what is now the southern part of the United States.  Native peoples hunted, moved and traveled by foot.  Traveling long distances was difficult, so was hunting buffalo.

The horse greatly changed the life of all the people of the Great Plains.  It gave them a method of travel.  It provided a way to carry food and equipment.  It made it easier and safer to follow and hunt the buffalo.  The horse made it possible to attack an enemy far away and return safely.  The number of horses owned became the measure of a tribe's wealth.

VOICE ONE:

Spanish settlers rode horses to the small town of Santa Fe in what is now the southwestern state of New Mexico.  They arrived there in about the year sixteen-oh-nine.

It is not known²² how native peoples in Santa Fe got the first horses in the country.  Perhaps they traded for them.  Perhaps they captured²³ them in an attack.  Many tribes soon were trading and capturing²⁴ horses. 

By the seventeen fifties, all the tribes of the Great Plains had horses.  They had become experts at raising, training and riding horses.  They became experts at horse medicine.

Each Indian of the Great Plains could ride a horse by the age of five.  As an adult, a young man would have a special horse for work. Another horse would be trained for hunting.  And another would be trained for war.  An Indian warrior's success depended upon how closely²⁵ he and his horses worked together.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

 
William Fisk painted this picture of George Catlin in 1849
George Catlin was an artist who traveled a great deal in the early American west.  He painted many beautiful pictures of American Indians.  Mister²⁶ Catlin said the Plains Indian was the greatest horse rider the world has ever known.  He said the moment an Indian rider laid a hand on his horse he became part of the animal.

VOICE ONE:

The buffalo and horse were extremely²⁷ important to the Plains Indian.  Because the horse made hunting easier, more time could be spent on things like art.  The Plains Indians began to make designs on their clothing, and on special blankets their horses wore.  Even common objects were painted with designs.

VOICE TWO:

The coming of white settlers to the Great Plains was the beginning of the end of the buffalo and horse culture of the American Indians.  Settlers did not want buffalo destroying their crops.  The buffalo were killed.  By the year eighteen eighty-five, the Indians of the Great Plains were mostly restricted²⁸ to area of land called reservations²⁹.

VOICE ONE:

Many of the Great Plains tribes that survive today work hard to keep their traditional cultures.  They produce art, music, and clothing.  They keep alive the memory of these people who added³⁰ greatly to the history of America.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This MAKING OF A NATION program was written by Paul Thompson. This is Sarah Long.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Rich Kleinfeldt.  Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

1 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

2 settled   

a.固定的；稳定的

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled without acrimony. 没有唇枪舌剑，这场纠纷就解决了。
• a settled way of life 安定的生活方式

3 extreme   

adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度

参考例句：

• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。
• His views are rather extreme.他的见解相当偏激。

4 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

5 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 explorers   

n.探险家，勘探者( explorer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them. 勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The explorers had to rough it when they got into the jungle. 那些探险者进入丛林后，不得不过着艰苦的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 educated   

adj.受过教育的，有教养的

参考例句：

• She was well educated in literature at a university.她在大学里受到良好的文学方面的教育。
• Children should be educated in a correct way.教育孩子要得法。

8 rocky   

adj.岩石的，像岩石的；多岩石的

参考例句：

• She drives carefully up the rocky lane.她驾车小心地从这条很多石头的小路上驶过去。
• There is only one port along this rocky coast.这个多岩石的海岸只有一个港口。

9 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

10 arrows   

n.箭( arrow的名词复数 )；矢；箭号；箭头

参考例句：

• He shot arrows one by one, but each missed. 他射了一箭又一箭，但都未能射中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They fired poisoned arrows at us. 他们向我们射出毒箭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 rider   

n.骑士，附件，扶手

参考例句：

• The rider forced his horse on through the storm.骑手在暴风雨中策马前进。
• The jury added a rider to their verdict recommending mercy.陪审团在裁决后加了一条建议宽恕的附文。

12 riders   

骑（马、自行车等）的人( rider的名词复数 )； 乘客； 附文； 附加条款

参考例句：

• a group of riders strung out along the beach 沿海滩散开的一队骑手
• The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。

13 protection   

n.保护，防卫，保护制度

参考例句：

• The protection of the country is the duty of everyone.保卫国家是每个人的责任。
• The young in our society need care and protection.我们社会的年轻人需要关怀和照顾。

14 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

15 raids   

突然袭击( raid的名词复数 )； 劫掠，劫夺； 突然查抄[搜捕]

参考例句：

• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。
• We can annoy the enemy by raids. 我们可以用空袭骚扰敌人。

16 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

17 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

18 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 drifts   

漂流物( drift的名词复数 )； 趋势； 流向； 水流

参考例句：

• He has no ambition or aim in his life.He only drifts along. 他生活中没有雄心或目标，只能随波逐流，混日子。
• The cars were snowed under by drifts. 车辆被积雪覆盖了。

20 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

21 bison   

n.野牛

参考例句：

• American bison are very large.美洲野牛非常巨大。
• Herds of bison live in the park.公园内住有成群的野牛。

22 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

23 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

24 capturing   

俘获( capture的现在分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Since when is capturing a felon considered interference? 从何时起抓住重案犯被认为是妨碍组员行动？
• Capturing the enemy-held towns is the pivot of our plans. 夺取敌人控制的城镇，是我们计画的轴心。

25 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

26 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

27 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

28 restricted   

adj.有限的；受约束的

参考例句：

• Speed is restricted to 30 mph in towns. 在城里车速不得超过每小时30英里。
• a restricted range of foods 有限的食物种类

29 reservations   

n.[法律]（权益等的）保留( reservation的名词复数 )；预订；保留地；保留意见

参考例句：

• Most of these workers are American Indians living on reservations. 这些工人中的大多数是住在居留地的美洲印第安人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Have you made the reservations for our holiday yet? 你为我们度假做好预订安排了吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。