美国学生历史 第166期:关于堪萨斯的纷争(3)

 352. Abraham Lincoln. 352．亚伯拉罕·林肯

Born in Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln went with his parents to Indiana and then to Illinois. 亚伯拉罕·林肯出生在肯塔基，他和父母一起来到印第安纳，后来又去了伊利诺斯。

As a boy he was very poor and had to work hard. 林肯小时候家境贫寒，他不得不努力劳动，

But he lost no opportunity to read and to study. 但他有空就读书学习；

At the plow¹ or in the long evenings at home by the firelight he was ever thinking and studying. 在田间，在冗长的傍晚借着家里的火光，林肯总是在学习和思考。

Growing to manhood he became a lawyer and served one term in Congress. 成年以后林肯成为一名律师并在一届国会中服务，

The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act aroused his indignation as nothing had ever aroused it before. 《堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案》的通过引起他前所未有的义愤，

He denied that any man had the right to govern another man, be he white or be he black, without that man's consent. 在他看来，不论黑人还是白人，不经某个人允许，谁都没有权力支配这个人；

He thought that blood would surely be shed before the slavery question would be settled in Kansas, 他认为在堪萨斯解决奴隶制问题一定会流血，

and the first shedding of blood would be the beginning of the end of the Union. 而第一滴血的流出将是联邦解体的开始。

353. Settlement of Kansas. 353．堪萨斯的聚居地

In the debate on the Kansas-Nebraska bill Senator Seward of New York said to the Southerners: 在关于《堪萨斯-内布拉斯加议案》的争辩中纽约州的参议员塞沃德对南方人说：

"Come on, then… We will engage in competition for the soil of Kansas, "继续努力，然后……我们将参与关于堪萨斯土地的竞争，

and God give the victory to the side that is strong in numbers as it is in right." 上帝将胜利给予数量占优势的一方，因为这一方是正确的。"

Seward spoke² truly. The victory came to those opposed to the extension of slavery. 塞沃德说对了，那些反对奴隶制扩张的人最终胜利了，

But it was a long time in coming. 但现在这个胜利还遥遥无期。

As soon as the act was passed, armed "Sons of the South" crossed the frontier of Missouri and founded the town of Atchison. 这项议案刚刚获得通过，武装的"南方之子"们就越过密苏里边界并创建艾奇逊这座小城。

Then came large bands of armed settlers from the North and the East. 随后，大队的武装殖民地居民也从北方和东方赶来，

They founded the towns of Lawrence and Topeka. 他们创建两座小城--劳伦斯和托皮卡。

1 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。