听美国故事练听力 44

　　Long ago, the people who settled in undeveloped areas of America firsttold tall tales. After a hard day's work, people gathered to tell eachother stories. Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. AnAfrican-American man named John Henry was the hero of former slavesand the people who built the railroads². He was known for his strength.
Railroads began to link the United States together in the 19thcentury. The railroads made it possible to travel from one side of thecountry to the other in less than a week. Before then, the same tripmight have taken up to 6 months. Railroad¹ companies employed thousandsof workers to create the smooth, flat pathways required by trains.
John Henry was perhaps the most famous worker. He was born a slave inthe Southern United States. He became a free man as a result ofAmerica's Civil War. Then he worked for the railroads. Confirmingdetails of John Henry's life is not possible. That is because no oneknows for sure if he really lived. This is one of the things thatmakes his story interesting. However, John Henry is based in part onreal events. Many people say he represents the spirit of growth inAmerica during this period. Now here is Shep O'Neal with our story.
People still talk about the night John Henry was born. It was dark andcloudy, then lightening³ lit up the night's sky. John Henry's birth wasa big event. His parents showed him to everyone they met. John Henrywas the most powerful looking baby people had ever seen. He had thickarms, wide shoulders and strong muscles. John Henry started growingwhen he was one-day old. He continued growing until he was thestrongest man who ever lived.
John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children stay childrenfor long. One day, he was sitting on his father's knee. The boy pickedup a small piece of steel and a workman's stool⁴ --a hammer. He lookedat the two objects then said, "A hammer will be the death of me."Before John Henry was 6 years old, he was carrying stones for workersbuilding a nearby railroad. By the age of 10, he worked from early inthe morning until night. Often, he would stop and listen to the soundof a train far away. He told his family, "I am going to be a steeldriver someday." Steel drivers helped create pathways for the railroadlines. These laborers⁵ had the job of cutting holes in rock. They didthis by hitting thick steel drills or spikes⁶. By the time John Henrywas a young man, he was one of the best steel drivers in the country.
He could work for hours without missing⁷ a beat. People said he workedso fast that his hammer moved like lightening.
John Henry was almost 2 meters tall. He weighed more than 90kilograms. He had a beautiful, deep voice and played an instrumentcalled banjo. John Henry married another steel driver, a woman namedPolly Ann. They had a son. John Henry went to work as a steel driverfor the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad or C&O. The company asked him tolead workers on a project to extend⁸ the railroad into the AlleghenyMountains. The workers made good progress on the project until theystarted working near Big Ben Mountain in West Virginia. The company'sowner said the mountain was too big to build a railroad around it. Sothe workers were told they had to force their drills through it. Thismeant creating a tunnel more than one and one half kilometers long.
The project required about 1, 000 laborers and lasted 3 years. Pay waslow and the work was difficult. The workers had to breathe thick,black smoke and dust. Hundreds of men became sick; many died. JohnHenry was the strongest and fastest man involved in the project. Heused a hammer that weighed more than 6 kilograms. Some people say hewas able to cut a path of 3 to 6 meters a day.
That July was the hottest month ever in West Virginia. Many workersbecame tired and weak in the heat. John Henry was concerned hisfriends might lose their jobs, so he picked up their hammers and begandoing their work. One week, he did his own work and that of severalother steel drivers'. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to eat.
The men thanked John Henry for his help. He just smiled and said, "Aman ain’t nothing but a man. He has just got to do his best."The extreme heat continued for weeks. One day, a salesman came to thework area with a new drilling machine powered by steam. He said itcould drill holes faster than 12 men working together. The railroadcompany planned to buy the machine if it worked as well as thesalesman said. The supervisor⁹ of the workers dismissed¹⁰ the salesman'sclaims. He said, "I have the best steel driver in the country. Hisname is John Henry and he can beat more than 20 men working together."The salesman disputed¹¹ the statements. He said the company could havethe machine without cost if John Henry was faster. The supervisorcalled to John Henry. He said, "This man does not believe that you candrill faster. How about a race?"John Henry looked at the machine and saw images of the future. He sawmachines taking the place of America's best laborers. He saw himselfand his friends unemployed¹² and standing¹³ by a road, asking for food. Hesaw men losing their families and their rights as human beings.
John Henry told the supervisor he would never let the machine take hisjob. His friends all cheered. However, John Henry's wife Polly Ann wasnot happy. "Competing against the machine will be the death of you."She said, "You have a wife and a child. If anything happens to you, wewill not ever smile again." John Henry lifted his son into the air. Hetold his wife, "A man ain’t nothing but a man. But a man always hasto do his best. Tomorrow, I will take my hammer and drive that steelfaster than any machine. "On the day of the big event, many people came to Big Ben Mountain towatch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early inthe day, the sun was burning hot. The competition began. John Henrykissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powereddrill worked two times faster than he did. Then he started workingwith a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In themountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have hadtrouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came frominside the mountain.
The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountainbreaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. PollyAnn and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel.
It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out, but hekept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness,hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He becameweak and his heart burst.
John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Anndid not move because she knew what happened. John Henry's bloodspilled over the ground, but he still held one of the hammers. "I beatthem!" he said. His wife cried out, "Don't go, John Henry!" "Bring mea cool drink of water." He said. Then he took his last breath.
Friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near thehouse where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about JohnHenry's death. Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced thesteel drivers. Many laborers left their families, looking for work.
They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sangabout John Henry.
John Henry told his captainA man ain’t nothing, but a manand before I let the steel drills beat me downI am gonna it down with this hammer in my hand, Lord¹⁴, Lord,I am gonna die with this hammer in my handJohn Henry ……You have just heard the story of John Henry. It was adapted forSpecial English by George Grow. Your storyteller was Shep O'Neal. Joinus again next week for another American story in Special English onthe Voice of America

1 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

2 railroads   

n.铁路，铁道( railroad的名词复数 )；铁路系统v.铁路，铁道( railroad的第三人称单数 )；铁路系统

参考例句：

• Water transportation was outmoded by railroads and good pikes. 水上运输已因铁路和良好的税道而变得过时了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A severe snowstorm blocked up railroads. 一场暴风雪使铁路中断。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 lightening   

n.发光v.使（某物）更明亮( lighten的现在分词 )；变得更光明

参考例句：

• The lightening splintered a tree. 闪电把一棵树劈开了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I saw the lightening split the clouds and heard the thunders following. 我看到闪电撕开云层，听到随之而来的雷声。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

4 stool   

n.凳子；粪便；根株；v.长出新枝，排便

参考例句：

• The stool is steady enough.这个凳子很稳。
• The boy was straining at stool.那个男孩在用力大便。

5 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

6 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

8 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

9 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

10 dismissed   

v.解雇( dismiss的过去式和过去分词 )；（使击球员或球队）退场；使退去；驳回

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。

11 disputed   

v.辩论，争论( dispute的过去式和过去分词 )；争夺；阻止；就…进行辩论adj.有争议的

参考例句：

• They disputed over how to get the best results. 他们争论着如何能得到最好的结果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers disputed every inch of ground when the enemy attacked. 敌人进犯，战士们寸土必争。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！