BBC英国史

it was carrying more than the 1,200 people selected to be the lucky colonists.

它承载着1200多名 被幸运选中的殖民地人民

It was carrying the hopes of an entire nation.

也承载者整个苏格兰的希冀

But the only information the Company of Scotland had about Darien

而苏格兰公司对达连湾的唯一了解

was from a pirate surgeon called Lionel Wafer,

源于一个名为莱昂内尔·韦弗的海盗船医

who claimed he knew the Caribbean very well and had convinced them the place was paradise.

声称对加勒比海了如指掌 并说服人们相信那是片失落人间的伊甸园

The climate was mild, he said,the soil fertile and the natives friendly.

那里气候温和 他形容道 土地肥沃 且民风淳朴

They were also vain,spending much of the day combing their long hair

那里的人们也爱慕虚荣 每天花上大量的时间梳理他们长长的头发

so, naturally,the ship's cargo included combs,thousands of them.

因而很自然的 船上的货物中有成千上万把梳子

The rest of the cargo says something about the conditions they were expecting to encounter.

其余的货物则是他们期望 为当地人所需要的物品

Crate-loads of catechisms and Bibles for converting the pagans.

他们装载了成箱的教义书和圣经 想要转变异教徒的信仰

1,400 hats, an even greater supply of wigs.

还有1400顶帽子以及更大数量的假发

The Darienites were expecting to live like lairds of the Lagoon!

他们预计达连人的生活方式 与泻湖的苏格兰地主相差无几

But before the ship got anywhere near Darien,

然而船还未靠近达连湾

the dream had turned into a nightmare.

美梦就变成了噩梦

Forty crew and passengers died on the long voyage,

四十名船员及乘客死于长途颠簸

and when they found their golden island,

而当所谓的金银岛呈现在眼前的时候

it was, of course, a mosquito-infested swamp.

他们发现那不过是片蚊飞蝇舞的沼泽

The natives did not, it seemed,

当地人看来并不需要他们带来的任何货物

want their combs or anything else.

更不用说那些梳子了

词汇解析

1、convince

使确信;使信服;使相信

Although I soon convinced him of my innocence, I think he still has serious doubts about my sanity.

虽然我很快便让他相信我是清白的，但是我想他仍然非常怀疑我是否神志正常。

The waste disposal industry is finding it difficult to convince the public that its operations are safe.

废物处理行业发现很难让公众相信其操作是安全的。

说服;劝服

That weekend in Plattsburgh, he convinced her to go ahead and marry Bud.

在普拉茨堡的那个周末，他说服她嫁给巴德。

2、convert

(使)改变;更改;(使)转变

The signal will be converted into digital code.

信号会被转变为数字代码。

naturally occurring substances which the body can convert into vitamins.

自然产生的能被身体转化成维生素的物质

改造，改建(房屋等)

By converting the loft, they were able to have two extra bedrooms.

把阁楼改造一下，他们就可以多出两间卧室。

the entrepreneur who wants to convert County Hall into an hotel...

想把市政厅改建成旅馆的企业家