美国故事 SENEWS-2007-1117-FEATURE

Now, an American short story in Special English.

Our story today is "The Devil¹ and Tom Walker. " It was written by Washington² Irving. Here is Shep O'Neal with our story.

Before we begin our story, let us go back 300 years to the late 1600s. In those years, one of the most famous men in the world was Captain William Kidd. Captain Kidd was a pirate³. He sailed the seas, capturing⁴ any ships he found. He and his men took money from these ships. Captain Kidd hid this money in different places. Captain Kidd was captured⁵ by the English in Boston, Massachusetts and executed⁶ in the year 1701. From that time on, people all over the world searched in many places for Captain Kidd's stolen money.

The people who lived in Massachusetts in the 1700s believed Captain Kidd buried some of his treasure near Boston. Not far from Boston was a small river which ran into the Atlantic Ocean. An old story said that Captain Kidd had come up this river from the ocean. Then he buried his gold and silver and jewels under a big tree. The story said that this treasure was protected by the Devil himself, who was a good friend of Captain Kidd.

In the year 1727, a man named Tom Walker lived near this place. Tom Walker was not a pleasant man. He loved only one thing -- money. There was only one person worse than Tom. That was his wife. She also loved money. These two were so hungry for money that they even stole things from each other.

One day, Tom Walker was returning home through a dark forest. He walked slowly and carefully, so that he would not fall into a pool of mud⁷. At last, he reached a piece of dry ground. Tom sat down on a tree that had fallen. As he rested, he dug⁸ into the earth with a stick. He knew the story that Indians had killed prisoners⁹ here as sacrifices to the Devil. But this did not trouble him. The only devil Tom was afraid of was his wife.

Tom's stick hit something hard. He dug it out of the earth. It was a human skull¹⁰. In the skull was an Indian axe¹¹. Suddenly, Tom Walker heard an angry voice, "Don't touch that skull! "

He saw a giant sitting on a broken tree. Tom had never seen such a man. He wore the clothes of an Indian. His skin was almost black and covered with ashes. His eyes were big and red. His black hair stood up from his head, he carried a large axe.

The giant asked, "What are you doing on my land?"

But Tom Walker was not afraid. He answered, "What do you mean? This land belongs to Mr. Peabody."

The strange man laughed and pointed¹² to the tall trees. Tom saw that one of the trees had been cut by an axe. He looked more closely¹³ and saw that the name Peabody had been cut into the tree. Mr. Peabody was a man who got rich by stealing from Indians. Tom looked at the other trees. Everyone had the name of some rich, important men from Massachusetts. Tom looked at the tree on which he was sitting. It also had a name cut into it, the name of Absalom Crowninshield. Tom remembered that Mr. Crowninshield was a very rich man. People said he got his money as Captain Kidd did by stealing ships.

Suddenly the giant shouted, "Crowninshield is ready to be burnt! I'm going to burn many trees this winter!" Tom told the man that he had no right to cut Mr. Peabody's trees. The stranger laughed and said, "I have every right to cut these trees. This land belonged to me a long time before Englishmen¹⁴ came to Massachusetts. The Indians were here. Then you Englishmen killed the Indians. Now I show Englishmen how to buy and sell slaves¹⁵. And I teach their women how to be witches¹⁶."

Tom Walker now knew that the giant was the Devil himself. But Tom Walker was still not afraid. The giant said Captain Kidd had buried great treasures under the trees, but nobody could have them unless the giant permitted¹⁷ it. He said Tom could have these treasures. But Tom had to agree to give the giant what he demanded.

Tom Walker loved money as much as he loved life. But he asked for time to think. Tom went home. He told his wife what had happened. She wanted Captain Kidd's treasure. She urged¹⁸ him to give the Devil what he wanted. Tom said no. At last, Mrs. Walker decided¹⁹ to do what Tom refused to do. She put all her silver in a larger piece of cloth and went to see the dark giant. Two days past, she did not return home. She was never seen again. People said later that Tom went to the place where he met the giant .He saw his wife's cloth hanging in a tree. He was happy, because he wanted to get her silver. But when he opened the cloth, there was no silver in it, only a human heart. Tom was sorry he lost the silver, but not sorry he lost his wife. He wanted to thank the giant for this. And so every day he looked for the giant. Tom finally decided that he would give the giant what he wanted in exchange for Captain Kidd's treasure.

One night, Tom Walker met the giant and offered his soul in exchange for Captain Kidd's treasure. The Devil now wanted more than that. He said that Tom would have to use the treasure to do the Devil's work. He wanted Tom to buy a ship and bring slaves to America. As we have said, Tom Walker was a hard man who loved nothing but money. But even he could not agree to buy and sell human beings as slaves. He refused to do this. The Devil then said that his second most important work was lending money. The man who did this work for the Devil forced poor people who borrowed money to pay back much more than they had received. Tom said he would like this kind of work. So the Devil gave him Captain Kidd's treasure.

A few days later, Tom Walker was a lender of money in Boston. Everyone who needed help and there were many who did, came to him. Tom Walker became the richest man in Boston. When people were not able to pay him, he took away their farms, their horses, and their houses.

As he got older and richer, Tom began to worry what would happen when he died. He had promised his soul to the Devil. Maybe--maybe--he could break that promise. Tom then became very religious²⁰. He went to church every week. He thought that if he prayed enough, he could escape from the Devil.

One day, Tom took the land of a man who had borrowed money. The poor man asked for more time to pay. ''Please do not destroy me!'' he said, ''you have already taken all my money!''

Tom got angry and started to shout, ''Let the Devil take me if I have taken any money from you!'' That was the end of Tom Walker. For just then, he heard a noise. He opened the door, there was the black giant holding a black horse. The giant said, ''Tom, I have come for you. ''

He picked up Tom and put him on the horse. Then he hit the horse, which ran off carrying Tom. No body ever saw Tom Walker again.

A farmer said that he saw the black horse with a man on it running wildly into the forest. After Tom Walker disappeared, the government decided to take Tom's property²¹, but there was nothing to take. All the papers²² which showed that Tom owned land and houses were burned to ashes. His boxes of gold and silver had nothing in them but small pieces of wood. The wood came from newly²³ cut trees. Tom's horses died and his house suddenly burned to ashes.

You have heard the story ''The Devil and Tom Walker''. It was written by Washington Irving. Our storyteller was Shep O'Neal. Listen again next week at the same time for another American story told in Special English on the Voice of America. This is Shirley Griffith.

1 devil   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• It is easier to raise the devil than to lay him.召鬼容易驱鬼难。
• Susie,you're a determined little devil.苏茜，你真是个坚决的小家伙。

2 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

3 pirate   

n.海盗，每盗船

参考例句：

• The pirate chief commanded that the prisoners should be shot.海盗头子下令枪毙俘虏。
• The shore batteries fired at the pirate boat.海岸炮兵向海盗船开火。

4 capturing   

俘获( capture的现在分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Since when is capturing a felon considered interference? 从何时起抓住重案犯被认为是妨碍组员行动？
• Capturing the enemy-held towns is the pivot of our plans. 夺取敌人控制的城镇，是我们计画的轴心。

5 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

6 executed   

v.执行（法令）( execute的过去式和过去分词 )；（按计划或设计）作成；履行；演（戏）

参考例句：

• He was executed for treason. 他因叛国罪被处死。
• He was executed in 1887for plotting to assassinate the tsar. 他因密谋暗杀沙皇在1887年被判处极刑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mud   

n.泥，泥浆

参考例句：

• The swimming pool is filled up with mud.游泳池里全是泥。
• A car ran past,spotting my coat with mud.一辆汽车驶过，给我的外衣溅上了泥点。

8 dug   

n.动物的乳房[乳头]v.挖，掘( dig的过去式和过去分词 )；（如用铲、锨或推土机等）挖掘；挖得；寻找

参考例句：

• He dug a deep hole in the garden. 他在花园里挖了个深坑。
• We dug a deep pit in the yard. 我们在院子中挖了个深洞。

9 prisoners   

n.囚徒( prisoner的名词复数 )；俘虏；被夺去自由的人[动物]等

参考例句：

• The president granted a general amnesty for all political prisoners. 总统大赦了所有的政治犯。
• The prisoners were living in appalling conditions. 囚犯的居住条件极为恶劣。

10 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

11 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

14 Englishmen   

n.英国人；英格兰（男）人，英国（男）人( Englishman的名词复数 )；英国人的家就是他的城堡（意即一个人的家是安全的私人场所）

参考例句：

• Few Englishmen wear frock coats now.They went out years ago. 现在，英国人很少穿大礼服了，大礼服在多年以前就不时兴了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• During the disturbance which followed, three Englishmen were hurt. 在接下来的骚乱中，3名英国人受伤。 来自辞典例句

15 slaves   

n.奴隶( slave的名词复数 )；苦工；完全受（某事物）控制的人；完全依赖（某事物）的人v.奴隶般地工作，做苦工( slave的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Slaves were not emancipated until 1863 in the United States. 美国奴隶直到1863年才获得自由。
• fashionistas who are slaves to the latest trends 被潮流牵着鼻子走的赶时髦者

16 witches   

n.女巫，巫婆( witch的名词复数 )；讨人嫌的丑女人v.女巫，巫婆( witch的第三人称单数 )；讨人嫌的丑女人

参考例句：

• Witches used to be burned at the stake. 巫婆过去要被处以火刑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Witches ain't got no power in the daytime." 巫婆白天是没有法力的。” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

17 permitted   

允许( permit的过去式和过去分词 )； 许可； 许用

参考例句：

• Radios are not permitted in the library. 图书馆内不许使用收音机。
• Entrance is permitted only on production of a ticket. 出示门票才可进入。

18 urged   

v.力劝( urge的过去式和过去分词 )；强烈要求；推进；驱策

参考例句：

• She urged him to stay. 她力劝他留下。
• Urged on by the PM the police tried to end the strike. 在首相的敦促下，警方力图终止罢工。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

20 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

21 property   

n.财产，所有物，所有权，性质，特性，（小）道具

参考例句：

• He has made over his property to a hospital.他已将财产转交给了一家医院。
• Oil has the property of floating on water.油有浮在水上的特性。

22 papers   

n.文件，纸币，论文

参考例句：

• I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前，我要与我的秘书商议。
• The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。

23 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。