VOA慢速英语 2008 0103b

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 United States. Today, we complete the story of the American Revolution against Britain in the late seventeen seventies.

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VOICE ONE:

It is December, seventeen seventy-six.  British General William Howe has decided¹ to stop fighting during the cold winter months. The general is in New York.  He has already established control of a few areas near the city, including Trenton and Princeton in New Jersey².

 
Detail from ''Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge³'' painted by John Dunsmore
General George Washington and the Continental⁴ Army are on the other side of the Delaware River.  The Americans are cold and hungry.  They have few weapons.  Washington knows that if Howe attacks, the British will be able to go all the way to Philadelphia.  They will then control two of America's most important cities.  He decides to attack.

His plan is for three groups of troops to cross the Delaware River separately.  All three will join together at Trenton.  Then they will attack Princeton and New Brunswick.  Washington wants to surprise the enemy early in the morning the day after the Christmas holiday, December twenty-sixth.

VOICE TWO:

On Christmas night, two thousand four hundred soldiers of the Continental Army get into small boats.  They cross the partly-frozen Delaware River.  The crossing takes longer than Washington thought it would.  The troops are four hours late. They will not be able to surprise the enemy at sunrise.

Yet, after marching to Trenton, Washington's troops do surprise the Hessian mercenaries who are in position there.  The enemy soldiers run into buildings to get away.  The Americans use cannons⁵ to blow up the buildings.  Soon, the enemy surrenders⁷. Washington's army has captured⁹ Trenton.  A few days later, he marches his captured prisoners through the streets of the city of Philadelphia.

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VOICE ONE:

Washington's victory at Trenton changed the way Americans felt about the war.  Before the battle, the rebels¹⁰ had been defeated in New York.  They were beginning to lose faith in their commander.  Now that faith returned.  Congress¹¹ increased Washington's powers, making it possible for the fight for independence to continue.

Another result of the victory at Trenton was that more men decided to join the army.  It now had ten thousand soldiers. This new Continental Army, however, lost battles during the summer to General Howe's forces near the Chesapeake Bay.  And in August, seventeen seventy-seven, General Howe captured Philadelphia.

VOICE TWO:

Following these losses, Washington led the army to the nearby area called Valley Forge.  They would stay there for the winter. His army was suffering.  Half the men had no shoes, clothes, or blankets.  They were almost starving.  They built houses out of logs¹², but the winter was very cold and they almost froze.  Many suffered from diseases¹³ such as smallpox¹⁴ and typhus.  Some died.

General Washington and other officers were able to get food from the surrounding area to help most of the men survive the winter. By the spring of seventeen seventy-eight, they were ready to fight again.

VOICE ONE:

General Howe was still in Philadelphia.  History experts say it is difficult to understand this British military leader.  At times, he was a good commander and a brave man.  At other times, he stayed in the safety of the cities, instead of leading his men to fight.  General Howe was not involved in the next series of important battles of the American Revolution, however.  The lead part now went to General John Burgoyne.  His plan was to capture⁸ the Hudson River Valley in New York State and separate New England from the other colonies¹⁵.  This, the British believed, would make it easy to capture the other colonies.

The plan did not succeed. American General Benedict Arnold defeated the British troops in New York.  General Burgoyne had expected help from General Howe, but did not get it.  Burgoyne was forced to surrender⁶ at the town of Saratoga.

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VOICE TWO:

 
British general John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, New York, in October 1777, as painted by Percy Moran
The American victory at Saratoga was an extremely important one. It ended the British plan to separate New England from the other colonies.  It also showed European nations that the new country might really be able to win its revolutionary war.  This was something that France, especially, had wanted ever since being defeated by the British earlier in the French and Indian War.

The French government had been supplying the Americans secretly through the work of America's minister to France, Benjamin Franklin.  Franklin was popular with the French people and with French government officials.  He helped gain French sympathy for the American cause.

VOICE ONE:

After the American victory at Saratoga, the French decided to enter the war on the American side.  The government recognized American independence.  The two nations signed military and political treaties¹⁶.  France and Britain were at war once again.

The British immediately sent a message to America's Continental Congress.  They offered to change everything so relations would be as they had been in seventeen sixty-three.  The Americans rejected the offer.  The war would be fought to the end.

In seventeen seventy-nine, Spain entered the war against the British.  And the next year, the British were also fighting the Dutch to stop their trade with America.

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VOICE TWO:

The French now sent gunpowder¹⁷, soldiers, officers, and ships to the Americans.  However, neither side made much progress in the war for the next two years.

 
A French blockade of the Chesapeake Bay during the Revolutionary War prevented British forces from reaching Yorktown
By seventeen eighty, the British had moved their military forces to the American South.  They quickly gained control of South Carolina and Georgia, but the Americans prevented them from taking control of North Carolina.  After that, the British commander moved his troops to Yorktown, Virginia.

The commander's name was Lord¹⁸ Charles Cornwallis.  Both he and George Washington had about eight thousand troops when they met near Yorktown.  Cornwallis was expecting more troops to arrive on British ships.

What he did not know was that French ships were on their way to Yorktown, too.  Their commander was Admiral Francois Comte de Grasse.  De Grasse met some of the British ships that Cornwallis was expecting, and he defeated them.  The French ships then moved into the Chesapeake Bay, near Yorktown.

VOICE ONE:

 
On this page in his diary, George Washington recorded the British surrender at Yorktown
The Americans and the French began attacking with cannons.  Then they fought the British soldiers hand-to-hand.  Cornwallis knew he had no chance to win without more troops.  He surrendered¹⁹ to George Washington on October seventeenth, seventeen eighty-one.

The war was over.  American and French forces had captured or killed one-half of the British troops in America.  The surviving British troops left Yorktown playing a popular British song called, "The World Turned Upside Down."

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VOICE TWO:

How were the Americans able to defeat the most powerful nation in the world?  Historians²⁰ give several reasons:

The Americans were fighting at home, while the British had to bring troops and supplies from across a wide ocean.  British officers made mistakes, especially General William Howe.  His slowness to take action at the start of the war made it possible for the Americans to survive during two difficult winters.

Another reason was the help the Americans received from the French.  Also, the British public had stopped supporting the long and costly²¹ war.  Finally, history experts say America might not have won without the leadership of George Washington.  He was honest, brave, and sure that the Americans could win.  He never gave up hope that he would reach that goal.

VOICE ONE:

The peace treaty²² ending the American Revolution was signed in Paris in seventeen eighty-three.  The independence of the United States was recognized.  Western and northern borders were set.

Thirteen colonies were free.  Now, they had to become one nation. 

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VOICE TWO:

Today's MAKING OF A NATION program was written by Nancy Steinbach.  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 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。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 forge   

v.使形成，与...建立密切联系，伪造，假冒

参考例句：

• Everything new comes from the forge of hard and bitter struggle.一切新东西都是从艰苦斗争中锻炼出来的。
• Difficulties help to forge people into able folk.困难有助于把人们锻炼成能干的人。

4 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

5 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 surrender   

v.投降，自首；屈服；交出，放弃

参考例句：

• He preferred to die rather than surrender to the enemy.他宁死也不愿向敌人投降。
• Liu Hulan would rather die than surrender before the enemy.刘胡兰在敌人面前宁死不屈。

7 surrenders   

v.投降( surrender的第三人称单数 )；放弃，抛弃

参考例句：

• The Old Guard dies but it never surrenders." 这些保守派是宁肯死了也不认输的。 来自飘（部分）
• Defendant Zhang has surrenders the plot, may legally the mitigated punishment. 被告张某有自首情节，依法可减轻处罚。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 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。

10 rebels   

n.反政府的人( rebel的名词复数 )；反叛者；造反者；叛逆者v.反抗政府( rebel的第三人称单数 )；反抗权威

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The rebels went on an orgy of killing. 叛乱者肆意杀人。

11 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

12 logs   

n.练习用球瓶；原木，木材，木料( log的名词复数 )；航海[飞行]日志

参考例句：

• logs for the fire 烧火用的木材
• The logs were knocked together as they floated down the stream. 圆木顺流而下时互相碰撞着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

14 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

15 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

16 treaties   

n.条约( treaty的名词复数 )；协议，协商

参考例句：

• These unequal treaties were made under duress. 这些不平等条约是在强迫下签订的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The imperialist powers forced the Qing Dynasty to sign a series of unequal treaties. 帝国主义列强迫使清王朝签订了一系列不平等条约。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

18 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

19 surrendered   

n.电子放单；Telex releasedv.投降( surrender的过去式和过去分词 )；放弃，抛弃

参考例句：

• The bandit chief surrendered himself to despair and took his own life. 匪首在绝望中自杀了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She gradually surrendered her dream of becoming an actress. 她渐渐放弃了当演员的梦想。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

21 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

22 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。