(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Today, we complete the story of the American Revolution against Britain in the late seventeen seventies. It is December, seventeen seventy-six. British General William Howe has decided 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 Jersey. General George Washington and the Continental 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. 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 cannons to blow up the buildings. Soon, the enemy surrenders. Washington's army has captured Trenton. A few days later, he marches his captured prisoners through the streets of the city of Philadelphia. Washington's victory at Trenton changed the way Americans felt about the war. Before the battle, the rebels had been defeated in New York. They were beginning to lose faith in their commander. Now that faith returned. Congress 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. 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 logs, but the winter was very cold and they almost froze. Many suffered from diseases such as smallpox 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. 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 capture the Hudson River Valley in New York State and separate New England from the other colonies. 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 surrender at the town of Saratoga. 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. 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 treaties. 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.
The French now sent gunpowder, soldiers, officers, and ships to the Americans. However, neither side made much progress in the war for the next two years. 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 Lord 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. 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 surrendered 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." How were the Americans able to defeat the most powerful nation in the world? Historians 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 costly 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. The peace treaty 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.
重点解析
1.reach goal 达到目标
formula, you will find you are more likely to stay motivated and reach goal after goal.
但只要遵循S.M.A.R. T.法设置目标，你会发现更容易保持动力，一个接一个地实现目标。
2.arrive on 到达
Coming from L1 also means the twins can arrive on different days.
也就意味着从L1航行的这颗卫星到达的时间就会有所不同。
3.decided to 决定
The police decided to crack down on drug addicts.
警察决定对吸毒的人采取严厉措施。
4.peace treaty 和平条约
The peace treaty was signed in Paris.
该和平条约是在巴黎签订的。
5.marching to 行进
The first appearance of the pre-school children, they are a , valiantly, full of dash and a strong pace of marching to us.
第一个出场的是学前班的小朋友，他们一个个英姿飒爽，雄赳赳、气昂昂地迈着有力的步伐，向我们走来。
参考译文
今天，我们为您讲述18世纪70年代后期美国独立战争最后的故事。1776年12月，英国将军威廉•豪决定寒冬停止战斗。威廉•豪将军已经在纽约控制了该市附近的一些地区，包括新泽西州的特伦顿和普林斯顿。乔治•华盛顿将军和大陆军驻扎在德拉瓦河的另一边。大陆军饥寒交迫，武器所剩无多。华盛顿明白，如果豪发动袭击，英国将直捣费城。届时，英军将控制美国两个最重要的城市。于是，他决定发动进攻。他计划让三组部队分批渡过德拉瓦河在特伦顿会合。然后攻击普林斯顿和新布伦瑞克。华盛顿计划在12月26日，即圣诞节后的第二天清晨给敌人一个措手不及。圣诞之夜，2400名大陆军士兵登上小船。他们穿越部分结冰的德拉瓦河，所需时间比华盛顿预计的要长，晚了四个小时，他们无法在日出时突袭敌军。然而，在进军特伦顿之后，华盛顿的军队确实让驻扎在那里的黑森雇佣军大吃一惊。敌军逃到大楼里。美军用大炮炸毁了这些大楼。很快，敌人投降。华盛顿军队一举夺取了特伦顿。几天后，华盛顿押着战俘在费城的街道上游行。华盛顿在特伦顿的胜利改变了美国人对这场战争的看法。之前，大陆军在纽约惨遭失败，他们开始对华盛顿将军失去信心。如今，士气大振。国会增加了华盛顿的权力，使独立战争继续进行。特伦顿战役胜利的另一个结果是，更多的人决定参军。大陆军增至一万人。
然而，第二年夏天，大陆军在切萨皮克湾附近输给了英军。1777年8月，费城失陷。战争失利之后，华盛顿率领大陆军来到附近一个叫福吉谷的地区安营扎寨。他们打算在那里过冬，条件十分艰苦，一半的人没有鞋子、衣服和毯子，食物短缺。他们用原木盖房，但还是挡不住刺骨的严寒，几乎冻僵了。许多人患有天花和斑疹伤寒等疾病，一些人死在这场大病中。华盛顿将军和其他军官从周围地区找来粮食，帮助大多数士兵熬过了冬天。到了1778年春天，他们准备再次开战。豪将军还在费城。历史学家说，这位英军统帅实在让人难以捉摸。有时，他是优秀的指挥官，是英勇善战的斗士。在其他时候，他呆在城市的安全地带，而不是带领士兵去战斗。然而，豪将军并没有参加美国独立战争接下来的几场重大战役。现在担任英军统帅的是约翰•伯戈因将军。伯戈因的计划是占领纽约州的哈德逊河谷，并将新英格兰从其他殖民地中分隔开来。英国人相信，这样的话，占领其他殖民地要容易。然而这一计划没有成功。阿诺德将军在纽约击败了英国军队。伯戈因将军曾期待豪将军的支援，但没有等到，最后被迫在萨拉托加镇投降。萨拉托加的胜利极为重要，它粉碎了英国把新英格兰从其他殖民地分离出去的计划。它还向欧洲国家表明，美国这个新国家真有可能赢得独立战争。这是法国-印度尼西亚战争中战败的法国一直希望看到的。
法国政府一直通过美国驻法使节本杰明•富兰克林向美国提供武器。富兰克林深受法国人民和政府的欢迎，他争取到了法国对独立战争的同情。美国在萨拉托加获胜后，法国决定站在美国一边参战。法国政府承认美国的独立。两国签署了军事和政治条约。法国和英国的战争再次打响。英国立即向美国大陆会议提议。英军愿意改变一切，使双方关系恢复到1763年的样子。美国拒绝了这一提议，他们决心将独立战争进行到底。1779年，西班牙与英国开战。第二年，英国为阻止荷兰与美国的贸易，还与荷兰作战。法国向美国输送火药、士兵、军官和船只。然而，在接下来的两年里，双方势均力敌，难分伯仲。到1780年，英国军队已经转移到美国南部。他们很快控制了南卡罗来纳和乔治亚州，但是美国人奋力阻止英军控制北卡罗来纳。之后，英军指挥官率领部队转移到弗吉尼亚州的约克镇。查尔斯•康沃利斯勋爵担任指挥官。他和乔治•华盛顿在约克镇附近对阵时，都有大约8000名士兵。康沃利斯原以为会有英国援军从水路赶来接应。但没想到，法国的船只也在去往约克镇的途中。法国的指挥官是弗朗索瓦•德•格拉塞上将。格拉塞遇到了康沃利斯期待的英国船只，并打败了英军。法国军舰随后进入约克镇附近的切萨皮克湾。美国和法国军队联合对英军发起炮击，随后又跟英军展开肉搏。康沃利斯知道，如果没有增援，他就没有获胜的希望。
1781年10月17日，康沃利斯向乔治•华盛顿投降。战争结束了。美国和法国军队俘虏或杀死了一半的英军。幸存下来的英国军队离开约克镇时，演奏了一首流行的英国歌曲，名叫《天翻地覆》。美国人是如何打败世界上最强大的国家？历史学家给出了几个原因:美国人在国内作战，而英国人不得不从大洋彼岸调来军队和物资。英国军官，尤其是威廉•豪将军，犯了很多错误。他在战争开始时行动迟缓，让大陆军经历两个严冬幸存了下来。另一个原因是美国人从法国人那里得到了帮助。此外，英国公众已经不再支持这场旷日持久、代价高昂的战争。最后，历史学家表示，如果没有乔治•华盛顿的领导，美国可能不会取得胜利。他诚实、勇敢，对美国的胜利坚信不移，他从未放弃过实现目标。1783年，英美在巴黎签署结束和平条约。承认美国的独立。并划定了美国西部和北部的边境线。13个殖民地获得了自由。现在，他们必须融合为一个国家。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
