最新15篇文章贯通英语四级词汇MP3 Unit2-Part4（在线收听）

[00:00.00]At the time, drums were used 

[00:03.70]to forewarn that 

[00:04.90]the natives were going to 

[00:06.44]capture the forts, which 

[00:07.75]guarded the western frontier. 

[00:08.84]Daily life in this new land, 

[00:12.45]for the early settlers, 

[00:14.09]was harsh and difficult. 

[00:16.28]First they needed to tame 

[00:18.80]the land, chopping down trees,

[00:20.99]in order to be able to plant crops. 

[00:24.05]At times they  needed to 

[00:26.57]defend their land and 

[00:27.88]be wary of attacks from  

[00:29.30]wild animals, such as 

[00:30.83]wolves and bears. 

[00:32.91]Mosquito bites caused severe reactions 

[00:36.63]of swelling and itchiness.

[00:39.59]Once the work was done, 

[00:41.77]neighbors would gather for 

[00:43.74]an occasional social function. 

[00:45.93]The children would play 

[00:48.12]for hours chasing butterflies 

[00:49.65]and looking for birds’ nests. 

[00:51.95]The boys would catch frogs and 

[00:54.57]then tease the girls with them. 

[00:56.22]There would be a delicious picnic lunch 

[01:00.05]spread on the grass. 

[01:02.12]John asked Lily to 

[01:04.31]bring some freshly squeezed lemon juice 

[01:06.28]for the picnic. 

[01:08.80]He found  the sour taste of  lemonade

[01:10.44]was refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

[01:13.94] Some of the men would 

[01:15.90]have a drink of homemade

[01:17.66]in the moonshine before 

[01:19.52]striking up a tune on the fiddle. 

[01:22.03]Square dancing was popular 

[01:25.43]among the young people and 

[01:27.39]the young lads would leap up to dance 

[01:29.48]with the eligible young ladies. 

[01:31.99]Rivals for a young lady’s hand 

[01:35.60]in marriage would tend to 

[01:37.35]compete to walk her home 

[01:38.99]at the end of an evening. 

[01:40.74]The romantic times were few 

[01:43.69]and contrasted sharply with 

[01:45.33]the stern reality of everyday life.

[01:49.16]Neighbors were also few and 

[01:53.44]Lily found she was very lonely. 

[01:55.73]She looked forward to 

[01:57.92]the occasional visits of the minister, 

[01:59.78]Robert Ayers, who was 

[02:02.07]a Methodist circuit rider. 

[02:03.94]Meetings would  be held

[02:06.23]in fields or small barns, 

[02:08.31]three to four times a year. 

[02:10.17]At other times neighbor women 

[02:13.78]from over the mountain would 

[02:15.75]meet to make quilts, blankets 

[02:17.83]and cushions and to gossip 

[02:19.25]about their respective lives. 

[02:21.77]They would share their secret fears 

[02:24.83]regarding their new lives, 

[02:27.02]their hopes for their children’s future 

[02:29.21]and enjoy each other’s companionship.