(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Faith Lapidus. And I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman pilot.
Bessie Coleman was born in Atlanta, Texas, in the eighteen ninety-two. Her mother was African American. Her father was part African American and part American Indian. Her family was poor. Bessie had to walk more than six kilometers to go to school. When she was nine years old, her father left the family to search in Oklahoma for the territory of his Indian ancestors. In Texas then, as in most areas of the American South, black people were treated unfairly. They lived separately from white people and established their own religious, business and social traditions. Bessie was proud of her race. She learned that from her hard-working and religious mother.
Bessie had to pick cotton and wash clothes to help earn money for her family. She was able to save a little money and went to college in the state of Oklahoma. She was in college only one year. She had to leave because she did not have enough money to complete her studies.
But during that year, she learned about flying. She read about the first flight of the Wright Brothers and the first American female pilot, Harriet Quimby. Bessie often thought about what it would feel like to fly like a bird.
When she was twenty-three, Bessie Coleman moved to Chicago, Illinois to live with two of her older brothers. There, she worked at several jobs. But she wanted to do something more important. She heard stories from pilots who were returning from World War One. She decided she was going to learn how to fly airplanes. She soon found this to be almost impossible. What flight school would admit a black woman? She found that apparently there were none in the United States. Bessie learned that she would have a better chance in Europe. She began to study French at a language school in Chicago. She also took a higher-paying job supervising a public eating place so she could save money. Soon after the end of World War One, Bessie Coleman left for France. She attended the famous flight school, Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudron, in the town of Le Crotoy in northern France. She learned to fly in a plane that had two sets of wings, one over the other. She completed seven months of flight training.
Coleman earned her international permit to fly in nineteen twenty-one from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in France. She became the first black woman ever to earn an international pilot's license. Coleman returned to Chicago. She was the only black female pilot in the United States. So her story became popular in African American newspapers. She was asked by the Dallas Express newspaper in Texas why she wanted to fly. She said that women and blacks must have pilots if they are to keep up with the times. She added: "Do you know you have never lived until you have flown. " Coleman soon learned that it was difficult for anyone to earn enough money as a pilot to live. She knew she would have to improve her flying skills and learn to do more tricks in the air if she wanted to succeed. There still was no one willing to teach her in Chicago. So, she returned to Europe in nineteen twenty-two. She completed about four more months of flight training with French and German pilots. Coleman returned to New York where she gave her first public flying performance in the United States. A large crowd of people gathered to watch her. She rolled the plane. And she stopped the engine and then started it again just before the plane landed. The crowd loved her performance. So did other crowds as she performed in towns and cities across the country. Bessie Coleman had proved she could fly. Yet she wanted to do more. She hoped to establish a school for black pilots in the United States. She knew she needed a plane of her own. She traveled to Los Angeles, California, where she sought the support of a company that sold tires. The company helped her buy a Curtiss JN-Four airplane, commonly called a Jenny. In return, she was to represent the company at public events.
Bessie Coleman organized an air show in Los Angeles. But the Jenny's engine stopped soon after take-off, and the plane crashed to the ground. Coleman suffered a broken leg and other injuries. She regretted the accident and felt she had disappointed her supporters. She sent a message: "Tell them all that as soon as I can walk I'm going to fly!" Coleman returned to Chicago where she continued her plan to open a flying school. She had very little money, no job and no plane, yet she opened an office in Chicago. She soon found it was impossible to keep the office open without more financial support. So she decided to return to flying. In nineteen twenty-five, Bessie Coleman traveled to her home state of Texas. The ormer cotton picker and beauty technician now was the only licensed black woman pilot in the world. She could speak French. And she was an international traveler. To earn money, Bessie Coleman gave speeches and showed films of her flights. She did this in churches, theaters and at local all-black public schools. She organized more air shows. She soon had enough money to pay for some of the cost of a plane of her own, another old Curtiss Jenny. She continued her speeches and air shows in the state of Georgia, then in Florida. She hoped to earn enough money to open her school.
In Florida, Coleman met Edwin Beeman, whose father was the head of a huge chewing gum company. Mister Beeman gave her the money to make the final payment on her plane in Dallas. Coleman made plans to have it flown to her in Jacksonville, Florida. A young white pilot, William Wills, made the trip.
But the old Jenny had problems. Wills had to make two stops during the short flight to repair the plane. Local pilots who examined the plane were surprised he had been able to fly it so far. On April thirtieth, nineteen twenty-six, Coleman was preparing for an air show in which she would star. She agreed to make the flight with William Wills. He flew the plane so she could clearly see the field she would fly over. She did not use any safety devices, such as a seat belt or parachute. They would have prevented her from leaning over to see all of the field. During the flight, the plane's controls became stuck. The plane turned over in the air. Nothing was holding Coleman in. She fell more than a kilometer to her death. Wills had worn a seat belt. But he also died when the plane crashed. Officials later found the cause of the accident. A tool had slid into the controls of the plane. Experts said that the accident would not have happened if Wills and Coleman had been flying a newer and safer plane.
Throughout her life, Bessie Coleman had resisted society's restrictions against blacks and women. She believed that the air is the only place where everyone is free. She wanted to teach other black people about that special environment. It took some time until her wish was fulfilled. It was not until nineteen thirty-nine that black students were permitted to enter civilian flight schools in the United States. It was not until the Second World War that black male pilots were sent into battle. And, it was not until nineteen eighty that the first black women completed military pilot training in the United States. Bessie Coleman did not live to establish her own flying school. But she had said that if she could create the minimum of her plans and desires, she would have no regrets. She had accepted the dangers of her job because she loved flying. Her influence continues today. In nineteen ninety-two, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution praising her. It said: "Bessie Coleman continues to inspire untold thousands, even millions of young persons with her sense of adventure, her positive attitude and her determination to succeed. " In nineteen thirty-four, Lieutenant William Powell wrote a book called "Black Wings." He wrote: "Because of Bessie Coleman, we have overcome that which was much worse than racial barriers. We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream. "
重点解析
1.territory 领土
He toured some of the disputed territories now under UN control.
他巡访过一些现归联合国管辖的有争议的属地。
2.separately 分别地
They were photographed separately and then as a group.
他们先单独照相，然后合影。
3.apparently 显然地
He paused, apparently lost in thought.
他停顿下来，显然陷入了沉思。
4.She said that women and blacks must have pilots if they are to keep up with the times.
keep up with the times 与时俱进
We must keep up with the times.
我们必须跟上时代要求。
5.But the Jenny's engine stopped soon after take-off, and the plane crashed to the ground.
take-off 起飞
The plane is ready for take-off.
飞机准备随时起飞。
6.Because of Bessie Coleman, we have overcome that which was much worse than racial barriers.
overcome 克服
Molly had fought and overcome her fear of flying.
莫莉经过努力克服了对飞行的恐惧。
参考译文
我是菲丝·拉伯蒂斯。我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述第一位非裔美国女飞行员，贝西·科尔曼。1892年，贝西·科尔曼出生于德克萨斯州的亚特兰大。她的母亲是非裔美国人，她的父亲是半非裔美国人和半美洲印第安人。他们家庭很贫困。贝西上学要走六千多米。九岁时，她的父亲离家来到美国俄克拉荷马州寻找他的印度祖先的领土。那时在德克萨斯州，在美国南部的大部分地区，黑人都遭到了不公平的对待。他们和白人不能住在同一个地区，他们建立了自己的宗教、商业和社会传统。贝西为她的种族而自豪。她从勤劳虔诚的母亲那学到了这些。贝西不得不去摘棉花、洗衣服来挣钱养家。她存了一点钱，去美国俄克拉荷马州上大学。她只在大学里呆了一年。她不得不离开学校，因为她没有钱完成学业。但是在那年里，她了解到了飞行。她读到了莱特兄弟第一架飞机和首位美国女性飞行员哈丽特·奎比的故事。
贝西常常想着像鸟一样飞行是什么感觉。23岁的时候，贝西·拉伯蒂斯搬到伊利诺斯州的芝加哥，去和她的两个哥哥一起生活。在那里，她找个几份工作。但是她想学习一些更加重要的知识。她听说了从一战回来的那些飞行员的故事。她决定去学习如何驾驶飞机。很快她发现这几乎是不可能的。什么样的飞行院校会承认一位黑人女性？她发现美国显然没有一个学校会。贝西了解到，在欧洲机会比较大。
她开始在芝加哥的一所语言学校学习法语。她还找到一个收入颇丰的监管一个公共饮食公场所的工作，这样她可以存上一笔钱。一战之后不久，贝西·科尔曼就离开去了法国。她进入了著名的飞行学校Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudron，其位于法国北部的勒克罗图瓦镇。她学会了如何驾驶两翼飞机，一个接一个，她结束了为期七个月的飞行训练。1921年，科尔曼在法国将获得了国际航空联合会授予的飞行许可。她成为了获得国际飞行执照的第一位黑人女性。
科尔曼返回芝加哥，那时她是美国仅有的一名黑人女性飞行员。所以她的故事在非裔美国报纸上广为流传。德克萨斯州达拉斯快报问她为什么想要飞行。她说女性和黑人中一定要有飞行员，如果他们想与时俱进的话。她还说道：“如果不飞行，你怎么知道自己曾经活过？”
很快科尔曼了解到作为飞行员，很难维持生计。她知道，如果想成功，她需要提高飞行技巧并学习更多技巧。在芝加哥，仍然没有人愿意指导她。所以她在1922年返回欧洲。她和法国以及德国飞行员们共同训练了四个多月。科尔曼回到纽约，并在那里进行了她在美国的第一次公开飞行表演。大群人聚集在一起观看她的飞行表演。她翻转飞机。并停止引擎，然后在着陆前再次启动引擎。观众们喜欢她的表演。其他那些在城市和城镇的人也喜欢。
贝西·科尔曼证明了她可以飞。但是她想要更多。她希望在美国为黑人飞行员建立学校，她知道她需要一架自己的飞机。她来到加利福尼亚的洛杉矶，在那里她寻求一家销售轮胎的公司的帮助。这家公司帮助她购买了一辆柯蒂斯·珍妮-4飞机，通常被称为珍妮飞机。作为回报，她要在公共活动上代表这家公司。贝西·科尔曼在洛杉矶组织了一场飞行秀。但是珍妮的引擎在起飞后很快便熄火了，飞机坠落地面。科尔曼摔断了腿，其他地方也受伤了。她对此次事件非常懊悔，她觉得她让她的支持者失望了。她发出消息称：“告诉他们，只要我可以走路了就马上开始飞行！”
科尔曼回到芝加哥，继续创立飞行学校的计划。她的钱不多，没有工作也没有飞机，但是她在芝加哥设立了一个办公室。很快她发现没有更多的经济支撑，想要维持这间办公室是不可能的，所以她决定重新飞行。1925年，贝西·科尔曼回到了她在德克萨斯州的家。这位以前采棉花的女孩和漂亮的技师，现在是世界上唯一一位拥有飞行许可的黑人女飞行员，她会说法语，也是一名国际旅行家。
为了挣钱，贝西·科尔曼进行演讲并展现她飞行的电影片段。她在教堂里、在剧院里、在当地的黑人学校里进行着这些。她组织了更多的空中秀。很快，她便筹到了足够的钱购买一辆属于自己的飞机——另一辆老式柯蒂斯·珍妮。她在乔治亚州、佛罗里达继续她的演讲和空中秀。她希望赚足够的钱开设她的学校。在佛罗里达，科尔曼遇到了爱德温.比曼，他的父亲是一家大型的口香糖公司的老板。比曼先生给了她钱让她在达拉斯支付飞机的最后一笔付款。科尔曼计划让飞机飞到在佛罗里达杰克逊维尔。一位年轻的白人飞行员威廉·威尔斯完成了此次旅程。但是老式的珍妮有些问题。威尔斯不得不在这趟短途中两次停下来修理这架飞机。本地检查飞机的飞行员很惊讶他飞了这么远。1926年4月30日，科尔曼正准备一次飞行表演，在这次表演中，她将成为明星。她同意和威廉·威尔斯共同飞行。他开飞机，这样她就能看清要飞过的区域。她并没有使用任何安全设备，比如安全带或降落伞。这些设备会阻碍她倾身查看所有区域。飞行期间，飞机的控制孔失灵了。飞机在空中翻转。飞机上没有任何东西能够牵制住科尔曼。她从一千多米的高空坠落而亡。威尔斯系了安全带，但是在飞机坠毁时，他也身亡了。之后官方调查了事故的起因。有一个工具滑到了飞机的控制台中。专家表示，如果威尔斯和科尔曼驾驶的是一架更新更安全的飞机，这次事故就不会发生了。
纵观她的一生，贝西·科尔曼反抗了社会对黑人和女性的限制。她相信天空是唯一一个人人自由的地方。她想要教其他黑人了解那个特殊的环境。经历了一段时间后，她的愿望才得以实现。直到1939年，美国才允许黑人学生进入民用飞行学校。直到二战，黑人男性飞行员才被派去参战。直到1980年，才有第一位黑人女性在美国完成了军事飞行员培训。贝西·科尔曼直到去世也没能建成自己的飞行学校。但是她曾说过，如果她能够完成计划和愿望的微小部分，她都不会觉得遗憾。因为热爱飞行，所以她接受了这份工作的危险。她的影响至今仍然存。1992年，芝加哥市议会通过一项决议表彰她的精神。该决议说道：“贝西·科尔曼以她的冒险精神、她的积极态度以及她想要成功的决心，继续激励着无数的年轻人。”1934年，威廉.鲍威尔上尉写了一本书——《黑翅膀》。他写到：“因为贝西·科尔曼，我们克服了比种族障碍更糟糕的障碍。我们克服了我们内心的障碍，敢于实现梦想。”
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