(单词翻译:单击)
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BOB DOUGHTY: Now, the Special English program, American Stories.
(MUSIC)
Today, we begin a new series from a book by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs. The book is called "A Princess of Mars." It is the first book in a series that Mister Burroughs wrote about a man who travels to Mars during the last years of the eighteen hundreds. There, the man meets strange beings and sees strange sights. At first he is a captive, then a warrior, and after many battles, a prince of a royal family.
Shep O'Neal begins the story of "A Princess of Mars.
(MUSIC)
JOHN CARTER: I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men do.
So far as I can remember, I have always been a man of about thirty. I appear today as I did forty years ago. Yet, I feel that I cannot go on living forever. Someday I will die the real death from which there is no escape. I do not know why I should fear death. I who have died two times and am still alive.
I have never told this story. I know the human mind will not believe what it cannot understand. I cannot explain what happened to me. I can only tell of the ten years my dead body lay undiscovered in an Arizona cave.
(SOUND)
My name is John Carter. I am from the state of Virginia. At the close of the Civil War I found myself without a home, without money and without work.
I decided the best plan was to search for gold in the great deserts of the American Southwest.
I spent almost a year searching for gold with another former soldier, Captain James Powell, also of Virginia. We were extremely lucky. In the winter of eighteen sixty-five we found rocks that held gold.
Powell was trained as a mining engineer. He said we had uncovered over a million dollars worth of gold in only three months. But the work was slow with only two men and not much equipment. So we decided Powell should go to the nearest settlement to seek equipment and men to help us with the work. On March third, eighteen sixty-six, Powell said good-bye. He rode his horse down the mountain toward the valley. I followed his progress for several hours.
The morning Powell left was like all mornings in the deserts of the great Southwest -- clear and beautiful.
Not much later I looked across the valley. I was surprised to see three riders in the same place where I had last seen my friend. After watching for some time, I decided the three riders must be hostile Indians.
Powell, I knew, was well armed and an experienced soldier. But I knew he would need my aid. I found my weapons, placed a saddle on my horse and started as fast as possible down the trail taken by Powell.
I followed as quickly as I could until dark. About nine o'clock the moon became very bright. I had no difficulty following Powell's trail. I soon found the trail left by the three riders following Powell. I knew they were Indians. I was sure they wanted to capture Powell.
(SOUND)
Suddenly I heard shots far ahead of me. I hurried ahead as fast as I could. Soon I came to a small camp. Several hundred Apache Indians were in the center of the camp. I could see Powell on the ground. I did not even think about what to do, I just acted. I pulled out my guns and began shooting.
(SOUND)
The Apaches were surprised and fled. I forced my horse into the camp and toward Powell. I reached down and pulled him up on the horse by his belt. I urged the horse to greater speed. The Apaches by now realized that I was alone and quickly began to follow. We were soon in very rough country.
The trail I chose began to rise sharply. It went up and up. I followed the trail for several hundred meters more until I came to the mouth of a large cave.
It was almost morning now. I got off my horse and laid Powell on the ground. I tried to give him water. But it was no use. Powell was dead. I laid his body down and continued to the cave.
I began to explore the cave. I was looking for a safe place to defend myself, or perhaps for a way out. But I became very sleepy. It was a pleasant feeling. My body became extremely heavy. I had trouble moving. Soon I had to lay down against the side of the cave. For some reason I could not move my arms or legs.
I lay facing the opening of the cave. I could see part of the trail that had led me here. And now I could see the Apaches. They had found me. But I could do nothing.
Within a minute one of them came into the cave. He looked at me, but he came no closer. His eyes grew wide. His mouth opened. He had a look of terror on his face. He looked behind me for moment and then fled.
Suddenly I heard a low noise behind me.
(SOUND)
So could the rest of the Apaches. They all turned and fled. The sound became louder. But still I could not move. I could not turn my head to see what was behind me. All day I lay like this. I tried again to rise, and again, but still I could not move. Then I heard a sharp sound. It was like a steel wire breaking. I quickly stood up. My back was against the cave wall.
I looked down. There before me lay my body.
(MUSIC)
For a few moments, I stood looking at my body. I could not bring myself to touch it. I was very frightened. The sounds of the cave and the sight of my body forced me away. I slowly backed to the opening of the cave.
I turned to look at the Arizona night. I could see a thousand stars. As I stood there I turned my eyes to a large red star. I could not stop looking at it. It was Mars...the red planet...the red god of war. It seemed to pull me near.
Then, for a moment, I closed my eyes. There was an instant of extreme cold and total darkness. Suddenly I was in deep, dreamless, peaceful sleep.
(MUSIC)
I opened my eyes upon a very strange land. I immediately knew then I was on Mars. Not once did I question this fact. My mind told me I was on Mars as your mind tells you that you are upon Earth. You do not question the fact, nor did I.
I found myself lying on a bed of yellow colored grass that covered the land for kilometers. The time was near the middle of the day and the sun was shining full upon me. It was warm.
I decided to do a little exploring.? Springing to my feet, I received my first Martian surprise. The effort to stand carried me into the Martian air to the height of about one meter. I landed softly upon the ground, however, without incident.
I found that I must learn to walk all over again. My muscles were used to the gravity of Earth. Mars has less gravity. My attempts to walk resulted in jumps and hops, which took me into the air. I once landed on my face. I soon learned that it took much less effort for me to move on Mars than it did on Earth.
Near me was a small, low wall. Carefully, I made my way to the wall and looked over. It was filled with eggs, some already broken open. Small, green creatures were in them. They looked at me with huge red eyes.
As I watched the fierce-looking creatures, I failed to hear twenty full-grown Martians coming from behind me. They had come without warning. As I turned, I saw them. One was coming at me with a huge spear, with its sharp tip pointed at my heart!
(MUSIC)
BOB DOUGHTY:This is Bob Doughty. You have been listening to American Stories and our version of "A Princess of Mars." The voice of John Carter was Shep O'Neal. Our program was written for radio, produced and directed by Paul Thompson.
Join us again next week for the next part of the Edgar Rice Burroughs story, "A Princess of Mars," on the Special English program, American Stories, on the Voice of America.
重点解析
1.look for 寻找
We all need to look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
我们都需要寻求降低碳排放量的方法。
2.for a few moments 片刻
I stood for a few moments in front of the nearest shop window.
我在最近的一家商店的橱窗前站了一会儿。
3.an instant of 瞬间
They forgot all their fears and all their miseries in an instant.
他们马上忘记了一切恐惧和痛苦。
4.I found that I must learn to walk all over again.
我发现我必须重新学步。
all over again 再次
The whole process started all over again.
整个程序又再次开始了。
5.Carefully, I made my way to the wall and looked over.
我小心翼翼地向墙走去，仔细查看。
look over 翻阅
Here's the essay for you to look over.
这篇文章请你过目。
6.I decided the best plan was to search for gold in the great deserts of the American Southwest.
我想出了一个绝妙的计划，那就是到美国西南部的大沙漠里淘金。
search for 寻找
You can use a directory service to search for people on the Internet.
你可以利用因特网的目录服务搜索人名。
参考译文
鲍勃·多尔蒂：现在为您演播，美国之音慢速英语节目，美国故事。
今天我们开始一个新的作品系列，作者是美国作家埃德加·赖斯·巴勒斯。这部作品名为《火星公主》，讲述了一个人在十八世纪末探访火星的故事。这是该系列作品的第一部分。在火星上，他遇见了怪人，看到了怪景。起初他只是一个俘虏，而后他成为了一名战士，经过多次战斗，终于成了皇室的王子。
演播谢普·奥尼尔。
谢普·奥尼尔：我已雪鬓霜鬟。多大年纪，我不知道。可能是一百岁，也许更老。我说不出，因为我的年龄，从没像其他人那样增长过。
我的印象一直都停留在三十岁上下。四十年前，我便如今日一样。然而，我觉得自己不会永生。总有一天，我将真正地死去，在劫难逃。我不知道我为什么害怕死亡。我已经死过两次了，可我却还活着。
关于这个故事，我从未曾提起。我知道人类的头脑不会相信它无法理解的东西。我无法解释发生在我身上的事情。我只能讲讲我的尸身躺在亚利桑那州山洞里，未被发现的那十年。
我叫约翰·卡特。来自弗吉尼亚州。那时内战接近尾声，我流离失所，身无分文，连份工作也没有。
我想出了一个绝妙的计划，那就是到美国西南部的大沙漠里淘金。
我和另一个退伍士兵詹姆斯·鲍威尔船长，花了将近一年的时间寻找黄金，他也是弗吉尼亚人。我们非常幸运。1865年冬，我们发现了含金的矿石。
鲍威尔曾经接受过采矿方面的训练。他说我们在三个月内发现了价值超过一百万美元的黄金。但这项工作进展缓慢，因为只有两个人，设备又不多。所以我们决定让鲍威尔到最近的人居去寻找设备，再带些人过来，帮助我们完成这项工作。1866年3月3日，鲍威尔挥手告别。他骑上马向着山谷扬长而去。我循着他的足迹走了好几个小时。
鲍威尔离开的那天早晨，晴朗瑰丽，就像美国西南部沙漠里所有的早晨一样。
没过多久，我望过山谷。我惊讶于自己竟看到了三个骑手，就在同一个地方，就在我上次与我朋友分离的地方。看了一会儿后，我确定这个三个骑手一定是印第安人，充满敌意。
鲍威尔，我知道，他装备精良，是个经验丰富的士兵。但我知道他需要我的帮助。我抄起了我的武器，套上马鞍，飞一般地追向鲍威尔。
我策马狂奔，直到天暗。大约九点，月光明亮。我毫不费力地找到了鲍威尔的踪迹。很快我也发现了尾随鲍威尔的三个骑手留下的痕迹。我知道他们是印第安人。我确信他们想要俘获鲍威尔。
突然我听到远方有枪声。我健步如飞。很快我来到了一个小营地。数百名阿帕切印第安人在营地中央。我看见鲍威尔躺在地上。我甚至没做思考，就展开了行动。我掏出枪开始射击。
阿帕切印第安人大惊失色，抱头鼠窜。我按着马进入营地，朝鲍威尔走去。我伸手把他拉到马上。我用鞭子抽打着马，让它快跑。现在，阿帕切印第安人意识到了我没有后援，很快追击上来。我们眼前变得崎岖不平。
我选择的道路坡度开始加大。越来越大。我沿着这条小道走了几百米，最终来到了一个大山洞的入口。
现在已经接近黎明。我下了马，把鲍威尔放在地上。我试着给他喂水。但是没有用。鲍威尔死了。我放下他，继续向山洞走去。
我开始探索这个洞穴。我在寻找一个安全的地方来保护自己，或者寻找出路。但我开始极度困倦。这种感觉相当愉悦。我的身体变得异常沉重。举步维艰。很快，我不得不在山洞的一边躺下。由于某种原因，我的四肢无法动弹。
我面向洞口躺着。我能看到自己来到这里的足迹。现在我可以看到阿帕切印第安人了。他们已经找到了我。而我已无力回天。
不到一分钟，其中一个印第安人走进了山洞。他看着我，但没有走近。他的眼睛睁得大大的。嘴巴也张开了。他脸上露出惊恐之色。他在我身后看了一会儿，然后仓皇而逃。
突然，我听到身后发出了低沉的声音。
其他阿帕切印第安人也能听到。他们全都慌急而逃。声音越来越大。但我还是不能动弹。我无法回头看到我的身后。我整天这样躺着。我试着站起来，但还是纹丝未动。然后我听到了一个尖锐的声音。就像一根钢丝断了。我很快站了起来。我背对着洞壁。
我向下看去，面前躺着我的身体。
有一会儿，我驻足凝望我的身体。我不敢触碰。心里非常害怕。山洞里的声音和我的躯体让我萌生退意。我慢慢地回到洞口。
我转过身去看亚利桑那的夜晚。我能看见一千颗星星。我站在那里，将视野转向一颗巨大的红星。它是那么吸引着我。那是火星，红色星球，红色的战争之神。它似乎把我拉近。
然后，有那么一会儿，我闭上了眼睛。刹那间，冰冷刺骨，漆黑一片。突然，我陷入了深沉无梦而又宁静的睡眠。
我睁开眼睛看着眼前陌生的土地。我马上意识到自己到了火星。对此我从未有过怀疑。我的思绪告诉我，我在火星，正如你的思绪告诉你，你在地球。对此你深信不疑，我也一样。
我发现自己躺在一片黄色的草甸上，这片草甸绵延数公里远。现在已经接近中午，阳光洒遍我的全身。非常温暖。
我决定走走看看。我脚下就像装了弹簧，这是我来到火星后的第一个惊喜。我一跃而起，起立动作让我腾空而起，距离地面大约1米。但我却缓缓降落，没有发生一点意外。
我发现我必须重新学步。我的肌肉已经适应了地球的引力。而火星引力较小。每次我想走路，却都总是一蹦一跳，把我带到空中。有一次我还摔了个狗啃泥。我很快就知道，我在火星上的移动不需要像在地球上那么用力。
在我的旁边有一座又小又矮的墙。我小心翼翼地向墙走去，仔细查看。里面全是蛋，有些已经破了。蛋里面是一些绿色的小动物。他们睁着大大的红眼睛对着我看。
我看着那些凶神恶煞的生物，没有注意到20个成年火星人从我身后过来。没有任何预警。我转过身，看见了他们。一个火星人举着一把大矛向我扑来，尖头对准我的心脏！
鲍勃·多尔蒂：我是鲍勃·多尔蒂。刚刚您听到的是美国故事以及我们改编的版本《火星公主》，约翰·卡特的配音来自谢普·奥尼尔。这个广播节目由保罗·汤普森编导制作。
欢迎您下周继续锁定美国之音慢速英语节目，美国故事，收听埃德加·赖斯·巴勒斯小说《火星公主》的第二部分。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
