每日对话：从中央车站到康涅狄格州[声频]
2016-04-08 14:33阅读：
Sam: Grand Central was
incredible!
Claudine: Yes, I loved the painted ceiling the best.
Sam: It’s hard to believe that it’s just a couple of hours later,
and we’re in a
rural area of Connecticut. But
why exactly
are we here?
Paul: This was part of the
Underground
Railroad.
Sam: You mean like a
subway?
Gina: No, not at all. The Underground Railroad was
neither underground
nor a
railroad. During the time of
slavery in the
U.S., many slaves chose to escape from their owners and find a safe
place.
Paul: The Underground Railroad was part of the
abolitionist movement, and it gave safe places to
fugitive slaves to stay as they went north to
escape slavery. People helped them along the way. It was a
dangerous trip for slaves, and the people who helped them
ran a risk too.
Claudine: Wow, and this area of Connecticut was part of the
Underground Railroad?
Gina: This part and other places in the state too.
让我们复习一些词语：
Grand Central (也叫做
Grand
Central Terminal or
Grand Central
Station) ：中央火车站，位于纽约曼哈顿，是大型通勤火车枢纽站。主大厅（Main
Concourse）天花板上绘有巨幅油画。
Rural：相对于城市而言的乡村，乡间
The
Underground Railroad:
“地下天路”，这里专指当年帮助美国南方黑奴逃往北方和加拿大等地的地下通道，沿途有许多人出力相助。
A
subway :地铁
Neither … nor: 既不……也不……。例如：
Neither Ted nor Helen can come to the party.
（泰德和海伦都不能来参加聚会。）
Slavery ：奴隶制，曾于18世纪和19世纪在美国合法存在。 A
slave：奴隶
The
abolitionist
movement：废奴运动，即在美国南北战争（Civil
War）前和战争中由一批志同道合的人发起的结束奴隶制的运动。
在美国实行奴隶制期间，
fugitive
slaves是指未经许可离开主人出走的
在逃奴隶。他们往往逃向不实行奴隶制的州、领地或国家。
To run a risk ：冒风险
The American English website
（含中文版）为英语学生和教师提供免费使用的多种英语资源。The American English Facebook page
为学生提供每日更新的英语学习资料。American English for Educators
Facebook为教师提供每日更新的英语教学资料。
“日常对话”由美国国务院教育与文化事务局英语语言项目处（Office of English Language Programs,
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs）资深项目官员海蒂•豪兰（Heidi
Howland）编写。
点击了解有关美国旅行计划
的更多信息及 旅行签证申请步骤。
This series of Everyday
Conversations is about a family traveling to each of the
50 states in the U.S. Join the family members as they learn about
local pastimes and history. These conversations are for
intermediate-level English-language learners or
higher.
In this conversation, the family talks about the Underground
Railroad while they are in Connecticut.
Audio Player
https://share.america.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Day-3-From-Grand-Central-To-Connecticut.mp3?_=1
Sam: Grand Central was incredible!
Claudine: Yes, I loved the painted ceiling the best.
Sam: It’s hard to believe that it’s just a couple of hours later,
and we’re in a rural area of Connecticut. But
why exactly are we here?
Paul: This was part of the Underground
Railroad.
Sam: You mean like a subway?
Gina: No, not at all. The Underground Railroad was
neitherunderground nor a
railroad. During the time of slavery in the
U.S., many slaves chose to escape from their owners and find a safe
place.
Paul: The Underground Railroad was part of the
abolitionist movement, and it gave safe places to
fugitive slaves to stay as they went north to
escape slavery. People helped them along the way. It was a
dangerous trip for slaves, and the people who helped them
ran a risk too.
Claudine: Wow, and this area of Connecticut was part of the
Underground Railroad?
Gina: This part and other places in the state too.
Now let’s review the vocabulary.
Grand Central (also called
Grand Central Terminal or Grand
Central Station) is a large, commuter train terminal — or
train station — in Manhattan. There is an elaborate painted ceiling
in the Main Concourse.
Rural means of or relating to the
countryside; not urban.
The Underground Railroad
provided safe places for fugitive slaves as they made their
way to the Northern states, Canada, or other places. People helped
them along the way.
A subway is a system of
underground trains.
Neither … nor: We can use
neither as a conjunction with
nor. When used together, these words connect two
options and give a negative meaning. Here’s an example.
Neither Ted nor Helen can come to the party.
This means that both Ted and Helen are not able to come to
the party.
Slavery legally existed in the U.S.
in the 18th and 19th centuries. A slave is someone who is owned by
another person and forced to work for that person without getting
paid.
The abolitionist movement in
the U.S. was the movement (by a group of people who shared similar
ideas) before and during the U.S. Civil War whose purpose was to
end slavery in the U.S.
During the time of slavery in the U.S., fugitive
slaves were slaves who left their masters and
traveled without permission. Fugitive slaves usually tried to reach
states, territories, or other countries where there was no
slavery.
To run a risk means to do something
that may result in something bad happening.
The American English website
offers a variety of free resources for learners and teachers
of English. The American English Facebook pageposts learning materials
for English-language learners daily. The American English for
Educators Facebook page posts teaching materials for
English-language teachers daily.
Everyday Conversations are developed by the State Department’s
Heidi Howland, a senior program officer in the Office of English
Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs.
Learn more about planning a trip to the U.S.
and applying for
a tourist visa. |
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