美国学生历史 第120期:幸福时代(2)

 　　Great quantities of British goods were sent to the United States and were sold at very low prices. 大量英国货物运到美国并以非常低的价格卖出。

　　The demand for American goods fell off. Mill owners closed their mills. 对美国货物的需求在下降，作坊老板关闭了作坊，

　　Working men and women could find no work to do. 靠工作吃饭的人们不论男女都找不到工作，

　　The result was a great rush of emigrants¹ from the older states on the seaboard to the new settlements in the West. 于是，就有了从沿海原有各州向西部新聚居地的大规模移民。

　　In the West the emigrants could buy land from the government at a very low rate, and by working hard could support themselves and their families. 去西部的移民可以用非常低的价格从政府那里买到土地，通过努力劳动他们可以养活自己和家人，

　　This westward² movement was at its height in 1817. 这种西部移民运动到1817年达到高潮。

　　In the years 1816~19, four states were admitted to the Union. 1816~1819年，联邦承认四个新的州，

　　These were Indiana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Illinois (1818), and Alabama (1819). 它们是印第安纳州（1816）、密西西比州（1817）、伊利诺斯州（1818）和阿拉巴马州（1819）。

　　Some of the emigrants even crossed the Mississippi River and settled in Missouri and in Arkansas. 有的移民甚至越过密西西比河到密苏里和阿肯色定居，

　　In 1819 they asked to be admitted to the Union as the state of Missouri, or given a territorial³ government under the name of Arkansas. 1819年，这两个地方向联邦申请被接受为密苏里州或按照阿肯色这个名字建立一个政府，

　　The people of Maine also asked Congress to admit them to the Union as the state of Maine. 缅因的人们也要求国会接受他们为联邦的缅因州。

　　278. Opposition⁴ to the Admission of Missouri. 278．反对接受密苏里

　　Many people in the North opposed the admission of Missouri because the settlers of the proposed state were slaveholders. 北方的许多人反对接受密苏里为一个州，因为所提出申请"州"的殖民地拥有一些奴隶。

　　Missouri would be a slave state, and these Northerners did not want any more slave states. 如果接受他们，密苏里就是一个奴隶州，这些北方人不希望再有奴隶州出现。

　　Originally slavery had existed in all the old thirteen states. 在已有十三州中已经有了奴隶制，

　　But every state north of Maryland had before 1819 either put an end to slavery 但在1819年前马里兰以北的各州或者终止了奴隶制，

　　or had adopted some plan by which slavery would gradually come to an end. 或者通过一些计划以逐渐结束奴隶制。

　　Slavery had been excluded from the Northwest by the famous Ordinance⁵ of 1787. 西北部地区通过著名的《西北法令》已经排除了奴隶制，

1 emigrants   

n.（从本国移往他国的）移民( emigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At last the emigrants got to their new home. 移民们终于到达了他们的新家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• 'Truly, a decree for selling the property of emigrants.' “有那么回事，是出售外逃人员财产的法令。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

2 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

3 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。