(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English. One day in October of eighteen fifty-nine, Americans were shocked by news of an attack led by John Brown. He was an antislavery extremist. Many people also considered him a madman. John Brown had declared that he was ready to die fighting slavery. He said that God wanted him to fight slavery by invading Virginia with a military force. And even if the rebellion failed, he predicted that it would lead to a civil war between the North and the South. Should there be a war, he said, the North would break the chains of black slaves. Brown decided to strike at Harpers Ferry, a small town about one hundred kilometers from Washington. It was part of Virginia at that time, but is now located in the state of West Virginia. It had a factory that made guns for the army and a supply center of valuable military equipment. Brown wanted the guns and equipment for the slave army he hoped to organize. Harpers Ferry was built on a narrow finger of land where the Shenandoah River flowed into the Potomac. There was a bridge across each river. Brown organized his attack from across the Potomac, in Maryland. This week in our series, Harry Monroe and Jack Moyles continue the story of John Brown and his raid on Harpers Ferry.
With his force of less than twenty men, John Brown moved through the darkness down to the bridge that crossed the Potomac River. Two men left the group to cut the telegraph lines east and west of Harpers Ferry. At the bridge, Brown's men surprised a railroad guard. They told him he was their prisoner. The guard thought they were joking until he saw their guns. Once across the bridge, Brown and his men moved quickly. They captured a few people in the street and another guard at the front gate of the government armory. They seized the armory, then crossed the street and seized the supply center. Millions of dollars' worth of military equipment was kept there. After leaving a few men to guard the prisoners, Brown and the others went to the gun factory across town. They seized the few people who were there and captured the factory. Without firing a shot, Brown now controlled the three places he wanted in Harpers Ferry. His problem now was to hold what he had captured. Brown knew he had little time. The people of the town would soon learn what had happened. They would call for help. And several groups of militia in the area would come to the aid of Harpers Ferry.
Brown planned to use the people he had captured as hostages. The militia would not attack if there was danger of harming the prisoners. He wanted as many prisoners as possible, to protect himself. If his plan failed, he could offer them in exchange for his own freedom and that of his men. Brown had decided to capture, as his best hostage, Colonel Lewis Washington. The Colonel was a descendant of President George Washington. He lived on a big farm near Harpers Ferry. Brown sent some of his men to capture the old colonel and free his slaves. They returned from the Washington farm after midnight. They brought Colonel Washington and ten slaves. They also captured another farmer and his son. The slaves were given spears and told to guard the prisoners. Then, at the far end of the Potomac River bridge, the first shots were fired. Brown's son, Watson, and another man fired at a railroad guard who refused to halt. A bullet struck his head, but did not hurt him seriously. The guard raced back across the bridge to the railroad station. He cried out that a group of armed men had seized the bridge. A few minutes later, a train from the west arrived at Harpers Ferry. The wounded guard warned the trainmen of the danger at the bridge. Two of the trainmen decided to investigate. They walked toward the bridge. Before they could reach it, bullets began whizzing past them. They ran back to the train and moved it farther from the bridge.
Then a free Negro man who worked at the railroad station, Hayward Shepherd, walked down to the bridge. Brown's men ordered him to halt. Shepherd tried to run and was shot. He got back to the station, but died several hours later. Brown finally agreed to let the train pass over the bridge and continue on to Baltimore. The train left at sunrise. By this time, word of Brown's attack had spread to Charles Town, more than twelve kilometers away. Officials called out the militia, ordering the men of Charles Town to get ready to go to the aid of Harpers Ferry. Soon after sunrise, men began arriving at Harpers Ferry from other towns in the area. They took positions above the armory and started shooting at it. The militia from Charles Town arrived at the Maryland end of the Potomac bridge. They charged across, forcing Brown's men on the bridge to flee to the armory. Only one of Brown's men was hit. He was killed instantly. Brown saw that he was surrounded. His only hope was to try to negotiate a ceasefire and offer to release his thirty hostages, if the militia would let him and his men go free. Brown sent out one of his men and one of the prisoners with a white flag. The excited crowd refused to recognize the white flag. They seized Brown's man and carried him away.
Brown moved his men and the most important of his hostages into a small brick building at the armory. Then he sent out two more of his men with a prisoner to try to negotiate a ceasefire. One of them was his son, Watson. This time, the crowd opened fire. Watson and the other raider were wounded. Their prisoner escaped to safety. Watson was able to crawl back to the armory. One of the youngest of Brown's men, William Leeman, tried to escape. He ran from the armory and jumped into the Potomac, planning to swim across the river. He did not get far. A group of militia saw him and began shooting. Leeman was forced to hide behind a rock in the middle of the river. Two men went out to the rock with guns and shot him. His body lay in the river for two days. Later, more people were killed. One was the mayor of Harpers Ferry, Fontaine Beckham. After the mayor's death, a mob went to the hotel where one of Brown's men had been held since he was seized earlier in the day. They pulled him from the hotel and took him to the bridge over the river. Several members of the mob put guns to his head and fired. They pushed his body off the bridge and into the water. Across town, three of Brown's men were in trouble at the gun factory. The factory was built on an island in the Shenandoah River.
The island was now surrounded by militia. Forty of the soldiers attacked the factory from three sides. They pushed the three raiders back to a small building next to the river. The three men fought as long as possible. Then they jumped through a window into the river. They tried to swim to safety. Men with guns were waiting for them. Bullets fell around the three like rain. One man was hit. He died instantly. Another was wounded. He was pulled to land and left to die. The third man escaped death. He was captured and held for trial. All through the afternoon and evening, Brown's men at the armory continued to exchange shots with the militia. Several more on both sides were killed or wounded. One of those was another of Brown's sons, Oliver. He was shot and seriously wounded. Night fell. Then, a militia officer, Captain Sinn, walked up to the small building held by Brown. He shouted to the men inside that he wished to talk. Brown opened the door and let him in. For almost an hour, the two men talked. They talked about slavery and the right to rebel against the government. Brown was furious that the crowd outside had refused to honor his white flag of truce earlier in the day. He told Sinn that his men could have killed unarmed men and women, but did not do so. "That is not quite correct," Captain Sinn said. "Mayor Beckham had no gun when he was shot." "Then I can only say I am most sad to hear it," said Brown. "Men who take up guns against the government," said Sinn, "must expect to be shot down like dogs." In Washington, President Buchanan and Secretary of War John Floyd did not learn of the rebellion at Harpers Ferry until after ten o'clock that morning. The president wanted immediate action.
重点解析
1.be ready to 准备好；准备做某事
One should be ready to help others, shouldn't one?
每个人都应该乐于助人，是吧？
2.cry out 大声呼喊；喊叫
He was crying out in pain on the ground when the ambulance arrived.
救护车赶到时他正疼得在地上大叫。
3.refuse to 不肯；拒绝
I refuse to honour your bill.
我拒绝兑现你的票据。
4.next to 在......旁边；紧挨着
She sat down next to him on the sofa.
她紧挨着他在沙发上坐下了。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。1859年10月的一天，美国人得知约翰·布朗领导发起一场袭击，大家都被这个消息震惊了。约翰·布朗是反奴隶制度极端分子，许多人还认为他是个疯子。约翰·布朗宣布，他已准备好为奴隶制而战。他说上帝希望他动用武力入侵维吉尼亚州，对抗奴隶制。即使叛乱失败，他预言这将导致南北之间发生内战。他说，如果发生战争，北方将割断束缚黑人的锁链。布朗决定袭击哈珀斯镇，这是距华盛顿大约100公里的一个小镇。当时，它归属于弗吉尼亚州，但现在则位于西弗吉尼亚州。小镇里有一家为军队制造枪支的工厂和重要的军备供应中心。布朗想为他希望组织的奴隶军提供枪支和装备。哈珀斯镇建在一块狭长的土地上，谢南多阿河在此处流入波托马克河。两条河上都架有一座桥。布朗在马里兰州的波托马克河对岸组织袭击。在本周的系列节目中，哈利·门罗和杰克·莫伊尔斯将继续讲述约翰·布朗和他对哈珀斯镇的突袭。
约翰·布朗带着不足二十人的小队，在黑暗中前行，来到横跨在波托马克河的桥上。两名男子离开小队，切断哈珀斯镇东西两侧的电报线。在桥上，布朗的手下们让一名铁路警卫感到很吃惊。他们告诉他，他们是囚犯。警卫以为他们在开玩笑，直到看到他们的枪。手下就迅速展开行动。他们在街上抓了几个人，在政府军械库的前门又抓了一名警卫。他们占领了军械库，然后穿过街道，夺取了军备供应中心。那里存放着价值数百万美元的军事装备。他们留下几个人看守囚犯，随后，布朗和其他人去小镇对面的枪械厂。他们抓获了在场的几个人，占领了工厂。布朗没开一枪，就控制了他在哈珀斯镇想要攻占的三个地方。现在的问题是，要控制住他所占领的地点和捕获的武器。布朗知道他时间不多，镇上的人很快就会知道发生了什么事。他们会寻求帮助。该地区的几个民兵组织将前来支援哈珀斯镇。
布朗计划把俘虏的人当作人质。如果存在伤害囚犯的危险，民兵就不会发起进攻。他想要抓获尽可能多的囚犯来保护自己。如果计划失败了，他可以用囚犯来交换自己和手下人的自由。布朗决定，刘易斯·华盛顿上校是最好的人质。上校是总统乔治·华盛顿的后裔，他住在哈珀斯镇附近的一个大农场里。布朗派一些人去抓捕老上校，并释放他的奴隶。午夜过后，他们从华盛顿家的农场返回，带来华盛顿上校和十名奴隶，此外还抓获了另一位农民和他的儿子。奴隶们获得了长矛，并被告知要守护囚犯。接着，在波托马克河大桥的尽头，第一枪打响了。布朗的儿子沃森和另一名男子，向一位拒绝停止前进的铁路警卫开枪，一颗子弹击中他的头部，但没有对他造成严重的伤害。这名警卫穿过桥跑回火车站，大声喊着，一群武装分子占领了这座桥。几分钟后，一列从西面开来的火车到达哈珀斯镇。受伤的警卫警告列车员桥上有危险，两名列车员决定调查一下情况。他们朝那座桥走去。在他们到达桥边时，子弹开始从他们身边呼啸而过。他们跑回到火车上，驶离那座桥。
随后，一位在火车站工作的自由的黑人海沃德·谢泼德走到桥边。布朗的手下命令他停下。谢泼德试图逃跑，但被子弹射中。他回到车站，几个小时后就死亡了。布朗最终同意让火车从桥上通过，继续开往巴尔的摩。火车在日出时分离开。这时，布朗发动袭击的消息传到了12公里外的查尔斯镇。官员们召集民兵，命令查理斯镇的人们准备去支援哈珀斯镇。日出后不久，人们开始从该地区的其他城镇抵达哈珀斯镇。他们占据了军械库上方的位置，开始向军械库射击。克桥位于马里兰州的一端，冲向桥对面，迫使布朗的小队从桥上逃到军械库。布朗的手下只有一人被击中，当场死亡。布朗看到自己被包围了，他唯一的希望是试图通过谈判使双方停火，并提出释放30名人质，前提是民兵会释放他和他的手下。布朗派出一名手下和一名手持白旗的囚犯。激动的人群拒绝承认白旗，他们抓住布朗的手下，把他带走了。
布朗把他的小队和最重要的人质，挪到军械库里的一座小砖房内。然后，他又派出两名带囚犯的手下，试图通过谈判使双方停火。其中一个人是他的儿子沃森。这一次，人群开火了。沃森和另一名袭击者受伤。他们的囚犯逃到了安全的地方。沃森爬回军械库。布朗最年轻的一名手下威廉·利曼想逃跑。他从军械库跑出来，跳进波托马克河，打算游过河。没等他游远，一群民兵看见他，便开始射击。利曼被迫躲在河中央的一块岩石后面。两个人拿着枪走到岩石边，朝他开了枪。他的尸体在河里躺了两天。后来，更多的人被杀。其中一位是哈珀斯镇的镇长，方丹·贝克汉姆。市长去世后，一群暴徒前往酒店。布朗的一名手下当天早些时候被抓获，一直关押在这里。他们把他从酒店拉出来，带到波托马克河的桥上。几名暴徒用枪指着他的头，开了枪。他们把他的尸体从桥上推到水里。在镇对面，布朗的三名手下在枪械厂遇到了麻烦。这家工厂建在谢南多阿河中的一个小岛上。
这个岛现在被民兵包围了，40名士兵从三个方向袭击工厂。他们把三名袭击者逼回河边的一座小建筑内。这三个人竭尽全力反击，然后从窗户跳进河里。他们试图游到安全的地方，持枪的人正等着他们。子弹像雨点一样落在三个人周围，一人被当场击毙。另一个人受了伤，有人把他拉到地面上，任由他死去。第三个人死里逃生，他被抓获，拘押受审。从下午到晚上，布朗那些守在军械库的手下一直与民兵交火。双方又有几人伤亡，其中一个人是布朗的另一个儿子奥利弗。他中枪后，伤势十分严重。夜幕降临，民兵军官辛恩上尉走到布朗占据的那座小建筑前，向里面的人喊道，他想谈谈。布朗打开门，让他进去。两人谈了将近一小时，他们谈到奴隶制和反抗政府的权利。布朗对外面的人群在当天早些时候，拒绝接受他的停战白旗感到愤怒。他告诉辛恩，他的手下本可以杀死那些手无寸铁的人们，但他们没有这样做。“你说的不太对，”辛恩上尉说。“贝克汉姆市长被枪击时，就没有拿枪。”“那我只能说，听到这个消息我很难过，”布朗说。“那些拿枪反抗政府的人，”辛恩说，“一定会像狗一样被击毙。”华盛顿方面，总统布坎南和作战部长约翰·弗洛伊德直到当天上午10点后，才得知哈珀斯镇发生的叛乱。总统希望立即采取行动。
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