(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to the MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. As we reported in our last program, slavery supporters failed to push through Congress a bill to make Kansas a slave state. Congress, instead, let the people of Kansas vote on the statehood constitution written by pro-slavery men. The people rejected the constitution. And slavery supporters gave up the fight for Kansas. Here are Steve Ember and Bob Doughty to continue the story. The problem of slavery continued to divide the North and South. Northerners warned that slavery could spread no farther. Southerners threatened to leave the Union unless southern rights were protected. In the far West, one could forget this bitter dispute. There were no slaves in the West. The land and the weather were not right for the kind of farming that used slaves. The west was growing quickly. Gold had brought thousands of settlers to California ten years earlier. New discoveries of gold and silver now were leading men to Colorado, Arizona and Nevada."Don't go," warned the New York Tribune, "if you have a job or a farm. But if you have neither," it said, "and can get fifty dollars, then go to Colorado." There were many men without jobs or farms in the summer of eighteen-fifty-eight. The country had suffered a serious economic depression the year before, and jobs were difficult to find. Thousands left cities in the east. The first ones to reach Colorado reported that gold was easy to find. They said any man who worked hard could find five to ten dollars worth of gold a day, and sometimes even more. The thousands who rushed to Colorado soon found that there was not as much gold as expected. The valuable metal became harder to find. No longer could it be washed from the bottoms of mountain streams. Men had to dig into the mountains of rock to get it. Huge digging machines and crushers were needed to get the gold from the rock. These machines were expensive. Few men had enough money to buy them. Some of the miners organized companies. They borrowed money from eastern banks or sold shares of their companies. In a few years, almost all of the gold from Colorado came from the mining companies.
Many of those who went west to search for gold stayed to become farmers or storekeepers. Others moved farther west to find gold in Nevada or California. Some cleared the ground of trees and cut them into wood for houses. Such timber from the forests of Oregon and Washington was sold in California and Mexico, even in China and Hawaii. A few men recognized the need for transportation across the nation. Engineers planned four railroads. But northern and southern leaders could not agree on which one to build first. Until a railroad could be built, supplies were carried west in wagons pulled by horses or oxen. Three men -- Russell, Majors, and Waddell -- formed a transportation company in eighteen fifty-five to carry government supplies to soldiers in the West. They started with five hundred wagons. Three years later, the company had three thousand five hundred wagons and forty thousand oxen. Getting letters to and from the west was not easy in the eighteen fifties. Ships brought mail to San Francisco two times a month. And once each month, mail would arrive in California after a slow trip by wagon from Saint Louis, Missouri. The federal government decided to send mail overland two times a week to California. It gave the job of carrying the letters to a new company -- the Overland Mail Company.
The mail was carried by train or boat to St. Louis. Then it was put on overland company stage coaches -- light wagons pulled by four or six horses. The company was told to take the mail along a four-thousand-kilometer southern route through Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The mail arrived in Los Angeles twenty-four days after it left St. Louis. There was a shorter way across the country. But the postal chief was a southerner, A. V. Brown. He believed stage coach travel might lead the way for a railroad. And he wanted a southern railroad to California. Brown said the southern route was the only one that could be kept open in all seasons. He said the other routes would be closed by snow in winter. The overland stage coaches were large enough to carry four passengers. But not many people went to California in the coaches. The coaches never stopped for very long -- only to change horses or drivers. And there were not many places to eat. Also, the trip was dangerous, because of hostile Indians. The shortest distance between Missouri and California was across the central part of the country. The Russell, Majors and Waddell Company decided to show that this central route could be used all year. It began a speedy mail service called the Pony Express.
Letters were carried by riders on fast horses. Stations with fresh horses were built about twenty-four kilometers apart, all along the way. A rider would change horses at each station until he had traveled one hundred twenty kilometers. Then he would give his letters to another rider. In this way, the letters would be carried between California and Missouri. The first letters sent by Pony Express from California took ten days to reach Missouri. The Pony Express lasted only eighteen months. It was no longer needed after a telegraph line was completed to San Francisco. As communications and transportation improved, the government was able to increase its control over the West. But closer ties were not welcomed between the government and a religious group known as the Mormons. The Mormon religion was started by a young New England man named Joseph Smith. In eighteen-twenty-three, at the age of eighteen, Smith claimed that an Angel told him of a golden book. He said the book contained God's words to the ancient people of America. Smith said he was able to read the strange writing in this book and put it into English. He called this work the Book of Mormon. He organized a church and made himself its leader. Many people became Mormons. They believed themselves to be a special people chosen by God. Mormons worked hard. They helped each other and shared with those in need. People who did not agree with the beliefs of the Mormons did not like them. Trouble developed between Mormons and other people. Joseph Smith was forced to move his people from New York to Ohio and then to Missouri.
The Mormons seemed finally to have found a home in Illinois. They built their own town and called it Nauvoo. They governed themselves and had their own defense force. The Mormons did so well that Nauvoo became the fastest-growing city in Illinois. Then some members of the group split apart, because of a new message Smith claimed to have received from God. Smith said God gave permission for Mormons to have more than one wife. This was polygamy. And it was opposed by almost all people. Some of the Mormons who left the church published a newspaper criticizing Smith and the other Mormon leaders. Followers ordered by Smith destroyed the newspaper's publishing equipment. This caused non-Mormons to demonstrate and demand that Smith be punished. Smith was arrested and put in jail in Carthage, Illinois. His brother also was arrested. An angry mob attacked the jail and shot both Smith and his brother to death. The governor of Illinois ordered the Mormons to leave his state. He said only this would prevent further violence. There was no choice. They had to leave. The Mormons had a new leader: Brigham Young. Young decided to take his people west and find a new home for them. He wanted a place where they would be safe -- where no one could interfere with their religion. Brigham Young told his people that he had seen their new home in a dream. He said they would search for it in the West, for a wide beautiful valley. He said he would recognize it when he saw it. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.give up 放弃；停止
She gave up her job to join her husband's campaign.
她辞去工作，加入到丈夫的宣传活动中。
2.no longer 不再；再也不
They no longer had him as a friend.
他们再也不把他看成朋友了。
3.decide to 决定；决定去做
Students may decide to seek tutorial guidance.
学生可以决定寻求导师指导
4.be known as 被称为；被认为是
So she will be known as Sleeping Beauty.
所以她将会是众所皆知的睡美人。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。我们在上期节目中讲到，奴隶制支持者没能让国会通过使堪萨斯成为奴隶制州的法案。相反，国会让堪萨斯人民投票表决由支持奴隶制的人撰写的州宪法。人民拒绝接受该宪法。奴隶制的支持者放弃了对堪萨斯的争斗。史蒂夫·恩伯和鲍勃·多尔蒂将继续为我们讲述这个故事。奴隶制问题使南北方的分裂不断加剧。北方人警告说不能再让奴隶制扩沿，南方人则威胁说，如果南方的权利无法得到保护，他们将脱离联邦。在遥远的西部，人们会忘记这场激烈的争论。西部没有奴隶，土地和天气不适合那种使用奴隶从事的农业。西部正在迅速发展。十年前，黄金曾把成千上万的定居者带到加利福尼亚。新发现的金、银正在把人们引向科罗拉多州、亚利桑那州和内华达州。
《纽约论坛报》警告说，“如果你有工作或农场，就不要去。但如果你两者都没有，那就搞到50美元，然后去科罗拉多吧。”在1858年夏天，有许多人要么没有工作，要么没有农场。美国在前一年经历了严重的经济萧条，人们很难找到工作。数千人离开了东部城市。据第一批到达科罗拉多州的人说，很容易就能找到黄金。任何努力工作的人每天都能找到5到10美元的黄金，有时甚至更多。数千人奔赴科罗拉多州后很快发现，那里的黄金并没有预期的那么多，越来越难找到贵重金属，它们也无法再沿山间溪流的河底被冲走了。为了获得贵重金属，人们不得不在大量的岩石中挖掘。需要动用大型挖掘机和破碎机从岩石中获取黄金。这些机器很昂贵，很少有人有足够的钱买得起。一些矿工组办了公司，他们向东部的银行借款或出售公司股份。几年后，在科罗拉多州发现的几乎所有黄金都来自采矿公司。
许多去西部寻找黄金的人留下来，成为农民或零售店店主。其他人则搬到西部更远的地方，在内华达州或加利福尼亚州寻找黄金。有些人砍掉了地面上的树木，把它们劈成木料盖房子。这种来自俄勒冈和华盛顿森林里的木材，出售到加利福尼亚州和墨西哥，甚至远销中国和夏威夷。一些人意识到需要在全国范围内运输物资，工程师们规划了四条铁路。但是，南方和北方的领导者们无法就先建哪一条铁路的问题达成一致。在铁路建成之前，物资由马或牛拉的货车运到西部。1855年，罗素、梅杰和沃德尔三人组建了一个运输公司，负责向西部运送政府物资。他们开始时有500辆货车，三年后，公司拥有3500辆货车和40000头牛。在19世纪50年代，要在西部收发信件是件难事。每月，船舶会向旧金山运送两次邮件。每月，还会有一辆马车从密苏里州圣路易斯出发，经过一段漫长的旅途到达加利福尼亚州。联邦政府决定，每周有两次通过陆运将邮件送达加利福尼亚州，它把这项送信的业务交由一家名叫陆运邮件公司的新公司经营。
邮件由火车或船只运到圣路易斯，然后装载到陆运邮件公司的驿站马车上，这是一种由四或六匹马拉着的轻型货车。该公司被告知沿一条4000公里的路线向南经过阿肯色州、德克萨斯州、新墨西哥州和亚利桑那州。邮件离开圣路易斯24天后到达洛杉矶。还有一条较短的线路，但是邮政局长是南方人A.V.·布朗。他相信乘坐马车旅行可能会为铁路开辟道路。他希望要一条向南开往加利福尼亚州的铁路。布朗说，南部路线是唯一一条四季都可以通车的路线，其他路线在冬天会被雪封住。驿站马车的车厢很大，可以载四名乘客。但很少有人乘做马车去加利福尼亚。马车除了更换马匹或车夫外，从不停留很长时间。吃饭的地方也很少。此外，由于印第安人很不友好，旅途也是危险重重。密苏里州和加利福尼亚州之间最短的距离是横跨中部地区。罗素、梅杰和沃德尔的公司决定表明，这条穿过中部的铁路全年通车，由此开始了一项名为驿马快信的快递邮件服务。
信件由骑着快马的骑手携带，沿途大约每隔24公里就建有驿站，驿站中有新马匹。骑手在每个驿站更换马匹，一直骑行120公里。随后，他会把信件交给另一位骑手。这样，信件就可以在加利福尼亚州和密苏里州之间往来。驿马快信从加利福尼亚州寄来的第一封信件，花了十天时间到达密苏里州。驿马快信只持续经营了18个月。在旧金山修建完一条电报线路后，就不再需要这项业务了。随着交通运输的改善，政府能够加强对西部的控制。但是，政府和一个被称为摩门教的宗教团体之间的联系并不太受公众的欢迎。摩门教由一位名叫约瑟夫·史密斯的新英格兰青年发起。1823年，18岁的史密斯声称有位天使告知他一本金书。他说这本书包含了上帝讲给美洲古人的话语。史密斯说他能看懂这本书中奇怪的文字，并把它译成了英语。他把这部作品称为《摩门经》。他创办了一个教会，自己成为领导者。许多人都成为摩门教徒，他们相信自己是上帝的选民。摩门教徒努力工作，他们之间互相帮助，与有需要的人进行分享。不同意摩门教徒信仰的人不喜欢他们，摩门教徒和其他人之间产生了问题。约瑟夫·史密斯被迫将他的人从纽约州搬到俄亥俄州，然后再搬到密苏里州。
最终，摩门教徒似乎在伊利诺伊州找到安家之所。他们建造了自己的城镇，并把它称为纳府。他们自己管理自己，拥有自己的国防军。摩门教徒做得很好，纳府成为伊利诺伊州发展最快的城市。后来，由于史密斯声称从上帝那里收到新信息，这个组织中的一些成员要分离出去。史密斯说上帝允许摩门教徒拥有不止一名妻子，这是一夫多妻制，几乎所有人都对此表示反对。一些离开教会的摩门教徒发行了一份报纸，他们在报纸上批评史密斯和其他摩门教领袖。史密斯命令的追随者毁坏报纸的出版设备，这导致了非摩门教徒示威并要求对史密斯进行惩罚。史密斯在伊利诺伊州的迦太基被捕入狱，他的兄弟也被捕了。一个愤怒的暴徒袭击了监狱，开枪打死史密斯和他的兄弟。伊利诺伊州州长命令摩门教徒离开他的州界，他说，只有这样做，才能防止发生进一步的暴力事件。因为没有其他选择，他们不得不离开。摩门教徒有了新的领袖：杨百翰。杨决定把他的人带到西部去，为他们找到一个新家。他想要一个安全的地方——没人能干涉他们的宗教信仰。杨百翰告诉他的子民，他在梦中看到了他们的新家。他说，他们会在西部找到一个开阔又美丽的山谷。他说一看到那个山谷，他就能认出来。这将是我们下周要讲述的故事。
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