(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Rich Kleinfeldt with the VOA Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Every week, we tell the story of someone important in the history of the United States. Today we tell about Madam C. J.Walker. She was a businesswoman, the first female African American to become very rich.
In the early nineteen hundreds, life for most African-Americans was very difficult. Mobs of white people attacked and killed black people. It was legal to separate groups of people by race. Women, both black and white, did not have the same rights as men.
Black women worked very long hours for little wages. They worked mostly as servants or farm workers. Or they washed clothes. Madam C. J. Walker worked as a washerwoman for twenty years. She then started her own business of developing and selling hair-care products for black women.
Madam Walker, however, did more than build a successful business. Her products helped women have a better sense of their own beauty. Her business also gave work to many black women. And, she helped other people, especially black artists and civil rights supporters. She said: "My object in life is not simply to make money for myself or to spend it on myself. I love to use a part of what I make in trying to help others. "
Madam C. J. Walker was very poor for most of her life.
She was born Sarah Breedlove in the southern state of Louisiana in eighteen sixty-seven. Her parents were former slaves. The family lived and worked on a cotton farm along the Mississippi River. Cotton was a crop that grew well in the rich, dark soil near the river.
Most children of slaves did not go to school. They had to work. By the time Sarah was five years old, she was picking cotton in the fields with her family. She also helped her mother and sister earn money by washing clothes for white people.
There was no water or machine to wash clothes in their home. The water from the Mississippi River was too dirty. So, they used rainwater. Sarah helped her mother and sister carry water to fill big wooden containers. They heated the water over the fire. Then they rubbed the clothes on flat pieces of wood, squeezed out the water and hung each piece to dry. It was hard work. The wet clothes were heavy, and the soap had lye in it. Lye is a strong substance that cleaned the clothes well. But it hurt people's skin.
When Sarah was seven years old, her parents died of the disease yellow fever. She and her sister moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi. At the age of fourteen, Sarah married Moses McWilliams. They had a daughter after they were married for three years. They named their daughter Lelia. Two years later, Moses McWilliams died in an accident.
Sarah was alone with her baby. She decided to move to Saint Louis, Missouri. She had heard that washerwomen earned more money there. Sarah washed clothes all day. At night, she went to school to get the education she had missed as a child. She also made sure that her daughter Lelia went to school. Sarah saved enough money to send Lelia to college.
Sarah began to think about how she was going to continue to earn money in the future. What was she going to do when she grew old and her back grew weak?
She also worried about her hair. It was dry and broken. Her hair was falling out in some places on her head. Sarah tried different products to improve her hair but nothing worked. Then she got an idea. If she could create a hair product that worked for her, she could start her own business.
At the age of thirty-seven, Sarah invented a mixture that helped her hair and made curly hair straight. Some people believe that Sarah studied the hair product she used and added her own "secret" substance. But Sarah said she invented the mixture with God's help. By solving her hair problem, she had found a way to improve her life.
Sarah decided to move west to Denver, Colorado. She did not want to compete with companies in Saint Louis that made hair-care products. For the first time in her life, Sarah left the area along the Mississippi River where she was born.
Sarah found a job in Denver as a cook. She cooked and washed clothes during the day. At night she worked on her hair products. She tested them on herself and on her friends. The products helped their hair. Sarah began selling her products from house to house.
In nineteen-oh-six, she married Charles Joseph Walker. He was a newspaperman who had become her friend and adviser. From then on, Sarah used the name Madam C. J. Walker.
Madam Walker organized women to sell her hair treatment. She established Walker schools of beauty culture throughout the country to train the saleswomen. The saleswomen became known as "Walker Agents. " They became popular in black communities throughout the United States.
Madam Walker worked hard at her business. She traveled to many American cities to help sell her products. She also traveled to the Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Panama, and Cuba. Her products had become popular there, too.
Madam Walker's business grew quickly. It soon was employing three thousand people. Black women who could not attend her schools could learn the Walker hair care method through a course by mail. Hundreds, and later thousands, of black women learned her hair-care methods. Madam Walker's products helped these women earn money to educate their children, build homes and start businesses.
Madam Walker was very proud of what she had done. She said that she had made it possible "for many colored women to abandon the washtub for more pleasant and profitable occupations. "
In nineteen-oh-eight, Madam Walker moved her business east to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh was closer to cities on the Atlantic coast with large black populations, cities such as New York, Washington, D. C. and Baltimore. Two years later, she established a laboratory and a factory in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, her products were developed and made.
Some people criticized Madam Walker's products. They accused her of straightening black women's hair to make it look like white women's hair.
Some black clergymen said that if black people were supposed to have straight hair, God would have given it to them. But Madam Walker said her purpose was to help women have healthy hair. She also said cleanliness was important. She established rules for cleanliness for her employees. Her rules later led to state laws covering jobs involving beauty treatment.
Madam C. J. Walker became very rich and famous. She enjoyed her new life. She also shared her money. She became one of the few black people at the time wealthy enough to give huge amounts of money to help people and organizations. She gave money to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to churches and to cultural centers.
Madam Walker also supported many black artists and writers. And, she worked hard to end violations against the rights of black people. In nineteen seventeen, she was part of a group that went to Washington, D. C. to meet with President Woodrow Wilson. The group urged him and Congress to make mob violence a federal crime.
In nineteen eighteen, Madam Walker finally settled in a town near New York City where she built a large, beautiful house. She continued her work, but her health began to weaken. Her doctors advised her to slow down. But she would not listen. She died the next year. She was fifty-one years old.
Madam C. J. Walker never forgot where she came from. Nor did she stop dreaming of how life could be. At a meeting of the National Negro Business League, Madam Walker explained that she was a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. "I was promoted from there to the washtub," she said. "Then I was promoted to the cook kitchen, and from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground. "
She not only improved her own life, but that of other women in similar situations. Madam C. J. Walker explained it this way: "If I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard. "
重点解析
1.die of因...而死
By the year 2025, no one will die of starvation because there will be food for everyone.
2025年之前，没有人会因为饥饿而死亡，因为将会有足够的食物给每个人吃。
2.make sure确保
We made sure Mom had her own mailbox and phone, and soon she had her own friends.
我们确保妈妈有她自己的信箱和电话，而她很快也拥有了自己的朋友。
3.fall out脱落；争吵
It is a common myth that losing baby teeth due to tooth decay is insignificant because baby teeth fall out anyway.
这是常见的误区，认为宝宝 因为蛀牙失去牙齿是无关紧要的，因为宝宝的乳牙总会在将来某一天脱落。
4.compete with与...竞争
Out of such reason, they have to work in the office for long time to compete with others.
出于这样的理由，他们在不得不在办公室里工作长时间来和别人竞争。
5.from house to house挨家挨户
The farmer peddled his fruit from house to house.
那个农民挨家挨户兜售他的水果。
6.lead to导致
Their disagreements lead to violence on the streets of Gaza.
他们的分歧导致了加沙街头的暴力活动。
参考译文
我是雪莉·格里菲斯，我是里奇·克林沸德，这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。每周我们都会讲述一位美国历史上重要的人物的故事。今天我们讲述C·J·沃克夫人的故事。她是一位女商人，是第一位非常富有的非裔美国女性。
在20世纪初，大多数非洲裔美国人的生活是非常困难的。白人暴徒袭击并杀害黑人。那时按种族把不同的人分开是合法的。妇女，无论黑人还是白人，都没有与男子相同的权利。
黑人妇女工作时间很长，但工资很低。他们主要是做仆人或农场工人。或者他们洗衣服。沃克夫人当了二十年的洗衣妇。然后她开始了自己的事业，为黑人女性开发和销售护发产品。
然而，沃克夫人所做的不仅仅是建立了一家成功的企业。她的产品帮助女性更好地认识自己的美丽。她的生意也为许多黑人妇女提供了工作。她还帮助其他人，尤其是黑人艺术家和民权支持者。她说：“我的人生目标不仅仅是为自己赚钱或把钱花在自己身上。我喜欢用我所得的一部分钱去帮助别人。”
沃克夫人一生中大部分时间都很穷。
她于1867年出生在美国南部的路易斯安那州，原名萨拉·布里德洛夫。她的父母以前是奴隶。这家人在密西西比河沿岸的一个棉花农场生活和工作。棉花是一种在河边肥沃的黑土上长得很好的作物。
大多数奴隶的孩子没有上过学。他们必须工作。萨拉五岁的时候，她和家人一起在地里摘棉花。她还帮助她的母亲和姐姐赚钱，为白人洗衣服。
他们家没有洗衣服的水或洗衣机。密西西比河的水又太脏。所以他们用雨水洗衣服。萨拉帮助她的妈妈和姐姐提水去装满大的木制容器。他们把水放在火上加热。然后，他们把衣服放在平的木头上摩擦，挤出水，把每件衣服挂起来晾干。这是一项艰苦的工作。湿衣服很重，肥皂里有碱液。碱液是一种强力物质，能把衣服洗得很干净。但它会伤害人们的皮肤。
萨拉七岁时，她的父母死于黄热病。她和姐姐搬到了密西西比州的维克斯堡。14岁时，萨拉嫁给了摩西·麦克威廉姆斯。他们结婚三年后生了一个女儿。他们给女儿取名莱利亚。两年后，摩西·麦克威廉姆斯在一次事故中丧生。
萨拉独自带着她的孩子。她决定搬到密苏里州的圣路易斯。她听说那里的洗衣女工挣钱更多。萨拉白天都在洗衣服，晚上她去上学接受小时候错过的教育。她也确保自己的女儿莱利亚能够上学。萨拉攒了足够多的钱让莱利亚去上大学。
萨拉开始考虑她未来怎么继续挣钱。当她老了，当她的背变虚弱时，自己要做什么？
她也担心自己的头发。它干燥又有破损。她头上一些地方的头发脱落了。萨拉尝试了不同的产品来改善自己的头发情况，但是没有产品是有效的。然后她有了一个想法。如果她能创造出一款对自己头发有效的产品，她就可以开始自己的事业了。
在37岁的时候，萨拉发明了一种混合物，它可以改善她的头发，使卷发变直。一些人认为，萨拉研究了她使用的发用产品，并添加了自己的“秘密”物质。但是萨拉认为她在上帝的帮助下发明了这种混合物。通过解决自己的头发问题，萨拉找到了一种改善自己生活的方式。
萨拉决定搬到西部科罗拉多州的丹佛。她不想同圣路易斯的护发产品生产商竞争。这是萨拉生平第一次离开她出生的密西西比河地区。
萨拉在丹佛找了一份厨子的工作。她在白天做饭洗衣。在晚上，她研究自己的头发护理产品。她在自己和朋友的身上尝试了这些产品。这些产品帮助了他们的头发。萨拉开始挨家挨户销售自己的产品。
1906年，她嫁给了查尔斯·约瑟夫·沃克。他是个记者，先前他成了萨拉的朋友和顾问。从那时起，萨拉就开始使用C·J·沃克夫人这个名字。
沃克夫人组织女性去销售她的头发护理产品。她在全国各地创建了沃克美容学校来培训女销售员。这些女销售员被称为“沃克代理”。他们在全美的黑人社区变得非常有名。
沃克夫人非常努力的经营自己的事业。她去往很多的美国城市去销售自己的产品。她还去到牙买加、巴拿马和古巴等加勒比国家。她的产品在那里也很受欢迎。
沃克夫人的生意发展得很快。它很快就雇用了3000人。不能上学的黑人妇女可以通过邮寄课程的方式学习沃克护发法。成百上千的黑人妇女学习了她的护发方法。沃克夫人的产品帮助这些妇女赚钱教育孩子、建造房屋和创业。
沃克夫人对自己所做的事情感到非常自豪。她说自己让“很多有色女性放弃洗衣工作、转向更开心更赚钱的工作”成为了可能。
1908年，沃克夫人把她的公司东迁到了宾夕法尼亚州的匹兹堡。匹兹堡离大西洋沿岸黑人人口众多的城市更近，如纽约、华盛顿特区和巴尔的摩。两年后，她在印第安纳州的印第安纳波利斯建立了实验室和工厂。在那里生产和制造她的产品。
有些人批评沃克夫人的产品。他们指控她拉直黑人女性的头发，使其看起来像白人女性的头发。
一些黑人牧师表示，如果黑人本应该拥有直发的话，上帝会给他们直发的。但是沃克女士表示，她的目的是为了帮助女性用用健康的头发。她也说清洁很重要。她为她的员工制定了清洁规则。她的规定后来导致了各州的法律，涵盖了涉及美容治疗的工作。
沃克夫人变得非常富有和有名。她喜欢她的新生活。她也分享她的钱。她成为当时为数不多的富有的黑人之一，他们捐出大量的钱来帮助人们和组织。她向全国有色人种促进会、教堂和文化中心捐款。
沃克夫人还资助了许多黑人艺术家和作家。她还努力制止对黑人权利的侵犯。在1917年，她是前往华盛顿特区会见伍德罗·威尔逊总统的团队的一员。该组织敦促他和国会将群众暴动定为联邦犯罪。
1918年，沃克女士最终定居在靠近纽约市的一个镇子，在那里，她建了一个又大又漂亮的房子。她继续着自己的工作，但是她的健康状况开始变差。她的医生建议她放慢速度。但是她不听。第二年她就去世了。享年51岁。
C·J·沃克夫人从没有忘记她来自哪里。也没有停止对生活的梦想。在全国黑人商业联盟的一次会议上，沃克女士解释道，她是来自南方的棉花地的一位妇女。她说：“我是从那里提升到洗衣房的。然后我上升成为了一名厨师，然后我又提升了自己，开启了生产头发护理产品的事业。我在自己的土地上建立了工厂。”
沃克夫人不仅仅改善了她自己的生活，她也改善了其他处于类似情况的妇女的生活。C·J·沃克夫人是这样说的：“如果说我在生活中实现了什么成就的话，那是因为我一直在努力工作。”
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