(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. Two summers had gone by since the start of the American Civil War, and the North had not yet won a major battle in Virginia. The Army of the Potomac -- the strongest of the Union armies -- had tried to seize Richmond, the Confederate capital. General George McClellan moved the army up to the very gates of the city. But then, General Robert E. Lee led his southern forces in a fierce attack. It smashed McClellan's army and drove them away from Richmond. This week in our series, Maurice Joyce and Jack Moyles continue the story of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln and his new chief general, Henry Halleck, put together a new northern force. They called it the Army of Virginia. They gave command of it to General John Pope, a successful fighter in the West. Pope began to move south toward Richmond. Halleck ordered McClellan to bring his army up to join Pope. Together, they could smash through the Confederate defenses around Richmond.
Lee decided to hit Pope before McClellan could join him. He left a few thousand troops to guard Richmond, then took the rest north. Lee moved up to the Rappahannock River, across from Pope's army. Lee sent Stonewall Jackson, with twenty-four thousand men, on a quick march around the western end of Pope's lines. Jackson and his men marched more than eighty kilometers in two days. They got behind Pope and seized a huge northern supply center at Manassas. Pope moved to smash them. They burned the captured supplies. Then they moved a few kilometers away to a long, low hill just northwest of the Bull Run battleground, where southern forces defeated a northern army a year before. Jackson hid his troops in woods along the hill and waited for General Lee to arrive with the rest of the southern army. But before Lee could get there, Union troops -- thousands of them --marched down the road below Jackson. Jackson decided to attack, to hold them there until Lee arrived with help. The fighting was furious. Neither side broke. The fighting died down at the end of the day, and Jackson's men moved back to their positions on higher ground. They made their lines along a partly-built railroad on the side of the hill.
From his headquarters on the hill, Jackson watched the northern forces prepare for battle. Many thousands of the enemy were marching into position. Pope brought up all his soldiers, and others were on the way from bases near Washington. Several thousand of McClellan's troops, commanded by General Porter, were arriving from the South. It was a mighty force, much larger than Jackson's army. Jackson was worried. He sent an officer back to find General Lee. He sent a message: Lee must hurry. Jackson faced a big army. Pope's army was large. But it was poorly organized. The men had been rushed into position. The order to attack was given before all the troops were ready. So, the attack began slowly. And Jackson was able to fight it off. But then, more and more northern soldiers joined the fight. The two sides struggled for hours in the hot summer sun. Jackson's men almost broke. Men prayed for the long day to end. The sun seemed to stand still. Finally, the sun went down, and the battlefield became dark. Jackson's men had held, but they paid a terrible price. Thousands were killed or wounded. Northern losses were even greater.
Most of the Union troops had fought bravely. They had hit the Confederate lines time after time. But one large group of soldiers did not get into the battle at all that day. This was the group from McClellan's Army of the Potomac, led by Fitz John Porter. Pope had ordered Porter to strike at the right end of Jackson's lines. Porter took his troops several kilometers past Jackson's right and stopped them. His soldiers remained there all day, out of the battle. Porter said later he believed the Confederate forces were too strong for his men. Other groups of McClellan's men were arriving in Alexandria, thirty kilometers to the east. Pope asked that they be sent to help him. McClellan was ordered to send them immediately. But he refused to do so. He said they were not in condition to fight, and he would not send them. General Pope still thought he was facing only Jackson's army. He refused to believe reports that Lee had arrived on the battlefield with thirty thousand more southern soldiers. Pope thought Lee was still far to the west of Manassas.
Pope knew that Jackson's army had taken a terrible beating in the two days of bloody fighting. And he was sure that Jackson would try to withdraw the next day, to retreat to the west. Pope divided his forces that night. He left thousands in place in front of Jackson's lines. The others were moved back. They were ordered to get ready for a march west to block Jackson's retreat. Pope made a terrible mistake. Jackson was not planning to retreat. He was waiting with Lee to smash the northern army. And that is what happened the next day. Northern troops attacked Jackson's lines. The fighting was bitter. Pope's forces almost smashed through. But then Lee ordered his men to move forward to help Jackson. Confederate artillery broke up the northern attack. When the northern troops began to retreat, Lee and Jackson attacked with all their might. Many of Pope's men were not prepared for battle. They were standing together in groups, ready for marching. They could not stop the southern attack. The Confederates pushed Pope's army back across the old Bull Run battlefield. Near the end of the day, northern forces succeeded in organizing a stronger defensive line. The southern attack slowed down, then stopped.
Lee sent Jackson around the north end of Pope's line to try to stop the northern retreat. Lee did not want the defeated Union army to escape. He wanted to destroy it. But heavy rain held up Jackson's troops. They were discovered and attacked by a strong northern force. Jackson could move no farther. He could not stop Pope's retreat to Centreville and Washington. The northern army escaped. But it left behind thousands and thousands of dead and wounded. Confederate doctors treated their own men, then tried to help the wounded soldiers of the other side. General Lee permitted northern medical wagons to return to the battlefield. And they began to carry the wounded back to Centreville. Groups of McClellan's army, arriving from Alexandria, met Pope's men in Centreville. They laughed and shouted at the tired, beaten soldiers. Many said they were glad that Pope had lost. One of McClellan's Generals, Samuel Sturgis, greeted Pope at Centreville: "I always told you, Pope, that if they gave you enough rope, you would hang yourself."
What happened at Bull Run created bitter anger among the people of the North -- anger against their military leaders. People felt that a year had been wasted, that thousands had died for no real purpose. The year before, southern troops sent a northern army fleeing from Bull Run. Now, it was happening again. The Army of the Potomac was back where it started. As the facts of the battle became known, cries of anger became even louder. The people demanded answers. Why did McClellan and his men move so slowly? Why did they refuse to go to Pope's aid? Why did Pope let Jackson get behind him? Why were fourteen thousand soldiers lost? Most members of Lincoln's cabinet believed McClellan was responsible. Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase said McClellan should be shot. War Secretary Edwin Stanton said he should be dismissed immediately. He and three other cabinet members signed a note demanding that Lincoln remove McClellan as Commander of the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln agreed that what McClellan had done was shocking. He said it was clear that McClellan wanted Pope to fail. But Lincoln said he would not remove McClellan. He said he knew that McClellan was not an aggressive general. But he said McClellan was a good organizer who could build the defeated army into a strong force. General Robert E. Lee, however, would not wait while McClellan rebuilt the army. He decided to carry the war to the North.
重点解析
1.get into 陷入；卷入
He was eager to get into politics.
他渴望进入政界。
2.in front of 在......前面
I stood for a few moments in front of the nearest shop window.
我在最近的一家商店的橱窗前站了一会儿。
3.move forward 向前发展；向前移动
It provides the thrust that makes the craft move forward.
它提供了飞机前进所需的推力。
4.be prepared for 对......做好准备；准备着
Be prepared for both warm and cool weather.
对冷暖天气都要做好准备。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。自美国内战开始以来，两个夏天已经过去了，北方还没有在弗吉尼亚州赢得一场重要的战争。波托马克军团——联盟中最强大的军队——试图占领联盟国的首都里士满。乔治·麦克莱伦将军把军队移到该城的入口处，但后来，罗伯特·E·李将军率领他的南方部队发起猛烈地进攻。它摧毁了麦克莱伦的军队，把他们从里士满赶走了。在本周的系列节目中，莫里斯·乔伊斯和杰克·莫伊尔斯将继续讲述内战的故事。总统亚伯拉罕·林肯和他的新任总参谋长亨利·哈利克组建了一支新的北方军队，他们称之为弗吉尼亚军。他们把指挥权交给了约翰·波普将军，他是西方一位成功的斗士。波普开始向南移向里士满，哈利克命令麦克莱伦召集他的军队与波普会合。他们可以一起摧毁里士满周围的联盟国军队的防御。
李将军决定与麦克莱伦会合之前，先攻打波普的军队。他留下了几千人守卫里士满，然后把剩余兵力带到北方。李将军把军队移到了波普军队对面的拉帕汉诺克河。李将军派出斯通沃尔·杰克逊，带两万四千人的部队，快速行进包抄波普军队的西侧。杰克逊和他的部下在两天内行进了80多公里，他们追击波普，并在马纳萨斯占领了一个巨大的北方供应中心。波普移军将其一举拿下，他们烧毁了缴获的补给。然后，他们移到几公里以外一个狭长的矮山，就在布尔朗战场的西北部，南方联盟国部队一年前在那击败了北方军队。杰克逊把他的部队藏在山边的树林里，等待李将军和其他南方军队一起到达。但在李将军到达那里之前，数千名联邦士兵沿着杰克逊所在位置下方的道路行进。杰克逊决定进攻，把敌人滞留在此，直到李将军前来救援。战斗非常激烈，双方战线都没有被攻破。战斗最终慢慢平息，杰克逊的士兵们回到高地上的阵地。他们沿着山坡上一条建造一半的铁路行进。
杰克逊从山上的指挥部观看北方军队备战，成千上万的敌人正在进驻阵地。波普召集所有的士兵，其他人正从华盛顿附近的基地出发。在波特将军的指挥下，麦克莱伦的数千名士兵正从南方赶来。这是一支强大的军队，比杰克逊的军队规模还要大。杰克逊很担心，他派出一名军官回来寻找李将军。他送出一条信息，让李将军必须快速移军。杰克逊面对的是一支庞大的军队。波普的军队规模很大，但组织得不好。士兵已经迅速赶到阵地，进攻的命令是在所有部队都准备就绪之前下达的。所以，攻击开始得很慢，而杰克逊也能够获胜。但是后来，越来越多的北方士兵加入到战斗之中。双方在夏天炎热的烈日下苦战数小时，杰克逊的部队几乎功亏一篑。士兵们都祈祷，希望这漫长的一天就此结束。但太阳却似乎静止不动。最后，太阳落山了，战场变得一片漆黑。杰克逊的士兵一直奋力抵抗，但他们付出了惨重的代价。数千名士兵伤亡。北方部队的损失更大。
联邦军的大多数部队都英勇作战，一次又一次地袭击联盟国的防线。但是，有一支大规模的军队当天并未参战，这就是由弗茨·约翰·波特率领的麦克莱伦波托马克军团中的一支兵力。波普命令波特从杰克逊部队的右路进攻，波特把他的部队带到杰克逊右翼几公里处，然后停军。他的士兵整天都驻扎在那里，并未参战。波特后来说道，他认为联盟国军队对他的士兵而言过于强大。麦克莱伦的其他部队也抵达了向东30公里的亚历山大港，波普要求派军前来支援。麦克莱伦接到命令立即派兵，但他拒绝这样做。他说他们并未做好作战准备，也不会派兵。波普将军仍然认为，他面对的只是杰克逊的军队。他拒绝相信有报道称，李将军已经带着三万名南方军抵达战场。波普认为，李将军仍在距离马纳萨斯西部很远的地方。
波普知道杰克逊的军队在两天的血战中遭受了可怕的重创，他确信杰克逊第二天会试图撤到西部。那天晚上，波普将其军队分组。他在杰克逊的战线前留下了数千人，其他士兵全部撤军。他们奉命准备向西行军，以阻止杰克逊撤退。波普犯了一个严重的错误，杰克逊不是在计划撤退。他在等待李将军的部队到来，一起击垮北方军队，而第二天事情真的发生了。北方军队袭击了杰克逊的防线，战斗非常激烈。波普的军队几乎被击溃。但后来，李将军命令部下去支援杰克逊。联盟国的炮兵击溃了北方的进攻，北方军队开始撤退时，李将军和杰克逊竭尽全力进攻。波普军队中的很多士兵都没准备好迎战，他们成群结队地站在一起，准备进军。他们无法阻止南方部队的进攻。联盟国军队把波普的军队逼回到老的布尔朗战场。当天快结束时，北方军队成功地组织了一条更强大的防御线。南方的进攻减慢了，进而停止。
李将军派杰克逊移到波普军队的北端，试图阻止北方军撤退。李将军不希望被击败的联邦军逃走，他想把他们一举摧毁。但是大雨阻碍了杰克逊的军队，一支强大的北方军队发现了他们，并向他们发起攻击。杰克逊不能再往前走了。他无法阻止波普撤退到森特维尔和华盛顿，北方军队逃跑了。但却留下了成千上万的伤亡士兵，联盟国的医生治疗南方的士兵，然后还试图帮助北方的伤员。李将军允许北方的医疗车返回战场，他们开始把伤者运回森特维尔。麦克莱伦的军队从亚历山大港出发，在森特维尔与波普的部队会师。他们取笑着疲惫不堪、遭受重创的士兵，还冲他们大喊大叫。许多士兵说，他们很高兴波普战败。麦克莱伦手下有个将军叫塞缪尔·斯图吉斯，他在森特维尔迎接波普时说道：“我总是告诉你，波普，如果他们给你足够长的绳子，你就会自己上吊。”
在布尔朗发生的事情，引起了北方人民的强烈愤怒，他们对军事领导人感到愤慨。人们觉得一年时间被浪费了，数千人无缘无故地战死。一年前，南方部队让一支北方军从布尔朗逃走。现在，旧事重演。波托马克军团又回到了起点。随着人们逐渐了解了战争的真相，愤怒的呼声变得越来越响亮。人们要求做出回答，为什么麦克莱伦及其部下行动如此缓慢？他们为什么拒绝接受波普的支援？为什么波普让杰克逊追袭他？为什么有一万四千名士兵丧生？林肯内阁的大多数成员认为麦克莱伦负有责任。财政部长萨蒙·蔡斯说，麦克莱伦应该被枪杀。作战部长埃德温·斯坦顿说，他应该立即辞去职务。他和其他三名内阁成员签署了一份文件，要求林肯撤去麦克莱伦作为波托马克军团司令一职。林肯承认麦克莱伦的所作所为令人感到震惊。他说，很明显麦克莱伦希望波普战败。但林肯表示，他不会罢免麦克莱伦，他知道麦克莱伦不是一位好斗的将军，但他是一个很好的组织者，能把败军组建成一支强大的部队。然而，罗伯特·E·李将军不会等待麦克莱伦重建军队，他决定向北方进军。
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